Project Details
Projekt
Insights into terrestrial climate conditions of the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere during the Eocene greenhouse world: An integrated palynological and organic geochemical approach
Applicant
Professor Dr. Jörg Pross
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Term
from 2009 to 2015
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 111964030
During the first project phase, we have studied terrestrial palynomorphs (pollen and spores) from the Lower to Middle Eocene of IODP Site U1156 (Wilkes Land, Antarctica). This has resulted in (i) the recognition of a paratropical rainforest biome including palms and Bombacoideae that prevailed in the coastal region of Wilkes Land during the early Eocene; and (ii) the first quantitative, seasonally resolved climate reconstructions for Antarctica from peak Eocene greenhouse conditions to mid-Eocene cooling. The integration of our palynological and MBT/CBT paleothermometry data yields an internally consistent picture. Mean annual temperatures may have been as high as 20°C; notably, winters were extremely mild (>10°C) and frost-free. While the first project phase has provided new insights into the terrestrial climate and environmental conditions on Antarctica from peak Cenozoic warmth to mid-Eocene cooling, we propose for the final project year to focus on the reconstruction of terrestrial climate and environments on Antarctica from the coolest interval of the Paleocene into the peak of early Eocene greenhouse conditions (~60 to ~54 myr) using the same methodologies. As study site, we propose ODP Site 1172, located on the Tasmanian Plateau at a paleolatitude of 65°S during the Paleogene. Hole 1172D has excellent chronostratigraphic age control, and previous work on dinocysts has shown that its succession exhibits a relatively high abundance of sporomorphs. Most importantly, due to the configuration of surface-water currents, the source area of terrestrial palynomorphs can be constrained to predominantly represent a high-latitude signal from East Antarctica. The project will yield the first quantitative climate reconstructions for Antarctica from the rise into the dawn of the Paleogene greenhouse world.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
International Connection
Netherlands
Participating Persons
Professor Dr. Henk Brinkhuis; Professor Dr. Bas van de Schootbrugge; Professor Dr. Stefan Schouten
