Gradual slide versus catastrophic blitz into the early Eocene super-greenhouse

Despite 25 years of intensive research it remains rather enigmatic what exactly triggered the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM): melting of clathrates, volcanism, magmatic intrusion into carbon reservoirs, or even a comet impact. The US East Coast provides unique shelf sequences spanning the PETM, containing excellently preserved foraminifera and other organic remains. In this project we will aim at disentangling stratigraphic complexity of subsurface sequences and constraining timing, mode and rate of changes in deposition during the latest Paleocene and the PETM. The goal is to reconstruct shelf ecosystems based on foraminiferal distributions and sedimentary, geochemical and mineralogic approaches and to be able to distinguish between gradual changes (e.g. sea-level, temperature) and a catastrophic onset of the PETM. The project will also investigate long-term impact on the evolution of shallow foraminiferal communities up to the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum.

Keywords:Greenhouse climate, PETM, Paleoclimate, Foraminifera, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Sea-level change, Hyperthermal

Disciplines:Geology, Atmospheric sciences, Physical geography and environmental geoscience, Atmospheric sciences, challenges and pollution, Other chemical sciences, Geochemistry, Other biological sciences, Evolutionary biology, Applied mathematics in specific fields, Geophysics, Other earth sciences, Aquatic sciences, challenges and pollution, Geomatic engineering