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Project

Evolution of the deep-sea ecosystem during early Eocene transient warming events: stable-isotope and foraminiferal evidence.

During the late Paleocene-early Eocene (60-50 Ma), earth experienced the warmest conditions of the Cenozoic. Especially middle and high-latitude temperatures were much higher than today. Superimposed on this setting, a transient warming event (hyperthermal), known as the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM; 55 Ma), left a major mark on biogeosphere development. Recent studies show that several subordinate hyperthermals occurred in the late Paleocene-early Eocene. The two best known hyperthermals are known as ETM-2 and ETM-3. Yet, ETM-2 and -3 are largely unexplores with respect to their biotoc aspects and short- and long-term consequences. In collaboration with various national and international partners the early Eocene hyperthermals are currently being investigated in continental margin sequences, especially in marginal basins of the Tethys and Atlantic Ocean. In the current proposal the bathymetric range of our studies is expanded to the deep sea (based on DSDP and ODP material) in order to obtain a more complete overview of the consequences of global warming and changes in oceanic circulation to the continuum of marine benthic ecosystems.
Date:1 Jan 2010 →  31 Dec 2013
Keywords:Deepsea, Stable isotopes, Foraminifera, Eocene, Paleoclimate, Micropaleontology
Disciplines:Geology, Other chemical sciences, Geochemistry, Other biological sciences, Evolutionary biology