Response of deep-sea biota to rapid global warming during the early Paleocene KU Leuven
The early Paleogene was characterized by temperatures higher than recent, especially at high latitudes. Superimposed on this warm background climate, several transient (<200 kyr) global warming episodes (hyperthermals) were demonstrated. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum or PETM (56 Ma) was the most extreme of these warming events. The PETM is characterized by a warming of ~5°C and a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) of ~3‰ in ...