Warm, not super-hot, temperatures in the early Eocene subtropics

Research Article| August 01, 2011 Warm, not super-hot, temperatures in the early Eocene subtropics Caitlin R. Keating-Bitonti; Caitlin R. Keating-Bitonti * 1Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA *Current address: Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; E-mail: keatingbiton@wisc.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Linda C. Ivany; Linda C. Ivany 1Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hagit P. Affek; Hagit P. Affek 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter Douglas; Peter Douglas 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Scott D. Samson Scott D. Samson 1Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Caitlin R. Keating-Bitonti * 1Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Linda C. Ivany 1Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Hagit P. Affek 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Peter Douglas 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Scott D. Samson 1Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA *Current address: Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; E-mail: keatingbiton@wisc.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 06 Jan 2011 Revision Received: 18 Mar 2011 Accepted: 23 Mar 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (8): 771–774. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32054.1 Article history Received: 06 Jan 2011 Revision Received: 18 Mar 2011 Accepted: 23 Mar 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Caitlin R. Keating-Bitonti, Linda C. Ivany, Hagit P. Affek, Peter Douglas, Scott D. Samson; Warm, not super-hot, temperatures in the early Eocene subtropics. Geology 2011;; 39 (8): 771–774. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32054.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The early Eocene (ca. 55–48 Ma) encompasses one of the warmest intervals of the past 65 m.y. and is characterized by an unusually low equator-to-pole thermal gradient. Recent proxy studies suggest temperatures well in excess of 30 °C even at high latitudes, but conflicting interpretations derived from different types of data leave considerable uncertainty about actual early Eocene temperatures. A robust comparison among new paleotemperature proxies may provide insight into possible biases in their temperature estimates, and additional detail on the spatial distribution of temperatures will further resolve the early Eocene meridional temperature gradient. We use a suite of paleotemperature proxies based on the chemistry of bivalve shell carbonate and associated sedimentary organic matter from the United States Gulf Coastal Plain to constrain climate at a subtropical site during this key interval of Earth history. Oxygen isotope and clumped isotope analyses of shell carbonate and two tetraether lipid analyses of sedimentary organic carbon all yield temperatures of ∼27 °C. High-resolution, intraannual oxygen isotope data reveal a consistent, large range of seasonal variation, but clumped isotope data suggest that seasonality is due primarily to precipitation, not to temperature. These paleotemperature estimates are 2–3 °C warmer than the northern Gulf of Mexico today, and generally consistent with early Eocene temperature estimates from other low and mid-latitude locations, but are significantly cooler than contemporaneous estimates from high southern latitudes. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.