High Temperatures in the Terrestrial Mid-Latitudes During the Early Palaeogene
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ARTICLES https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0199-0 High temperatures in the terrestrial mid-latitudes during the early Palaeogene B. D. A. Naafs1*, M. Rohrssen1,2, G. N. Inglis1, O. Lähteenoja3, S. J. Feakins! !4, M. E. Collinson5, E. M. Kennedy! !6, P. K. Singh7, M. P. Singh7, D. J. Lunt! !8 and R. D. Pancost1 The early Paleogene (56–48!Myr) provides valuable information about the Earth’s climate system in an equilibrium high pCO2 world. High ocean temperatures have been reconstructed for this greenhouse period, but land temperature estimates have been cooler than expected. This mismatch between marine and terrestrial temperatures has been difficult to reconcile. Here we present terrestrial temperature estimates from a newly calibrated branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether-based palaeo- thermometer in ancient lignites (fossilized peat). Our results suggest early Palaeogene mid-latitude mean annual air tempera- tures of 23–29!°C (with an uncertainty of ± !4.7!°C), 5–10!°C higher than most previous estimates. The identification of archaeal biomarkers in these same lignites, previously observed only in thermophiles and hyperthermophilic settings, support these high temperature estimates. These mid-latitude terrestrial temperature estimates are consistent with reconstructed ocean temperatures and indicate that the terrestrial realm was much warmer during the early Palaeogene than previously thought. he early Palaeogene is characterized by an extended period of but such p values are higher than proxy estimates for the CO2 high atmospheric carbon dioxide (p ) levels1,2. Quantification early Palaeogene1,2. Other models, such as HadCM3L (Hadley CO2 Tof the temperatures during greenhouse climates is needed Centre Coupled Model version 3) and ECHAM (European Centre because (1) they can be used to evaluate climate model simula- Hamburg Model), generally cannot reproduce the warming at p CO2 tions at elevated p (ref. 3), (2) temperature governs diverse levels consistent with the marine proxy estimates3. The apparent CO2 components of climate dynamics (for example, circulation pat- high SST reconstructions have therefore been attributed to proxy terns)4 and feedback mechanisms within the Earth system (for complications, such as a subsurface origin of the lipids used in 5 11 example, weathering) and (3) they influence biogeochemical the TEX86 proxy , variations in early Palaeogene seawater chem- processes (for example, the flux of methane from wetlands into istry compared to modern that especially influences the calcite- the atmosphere)6. Although potentially not continuously as hot as based palaeothermometers12 and/or a seasonal (summer) bias in the relatively short-lived extreme greenhouse events such as the the marine proxies13,14. However, recent model simulations have Palaeocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the extended identified potential biases against polar warming in general cir- greenhouse climate state of the early Palaeogene is the focus here. culation models that are tuned to modern conditions15,16 asso- Over the past decade, considerable effort has been made to ciated with the representation of cloud properties, which may reconstruct the early Palaeogene greenhouse climate with a vari- partly explain the model–data discrepancy at mid/high latitudes. ety of calcite-based, leaf physiognomic and organic geochemical The available terrestrial temperature proxies, based mainly proxies. For example, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been on leaf physiognomic temperature estimates and the MBT(′ )/ reconstructed with the organic tetraether index of 86 carbon atoms CBT organic mineral soil temperature proxy, based in turn on the 7 (TEX86) proxy , based on the distribution of isoprenoidal glyc- degree of methylation of branched tetraether (MBT) and cycliza- erol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (isoGDGTs), lipids synthesized by tion of branched tetraethers (CBT) indices of bacterial branched Archaea, in marine sediments. These records indicate SSTs signifi- glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), suggest that early cantly higher than modern ones, with SSTs from the southwestern Palaeogene terrestrial temperatures in general were also higher than Pacific at 60° S palaeolatitude above 30 °C (ref. 8). Similarly, calcite- modern10,17,18, but to a lesser degree than indicated by SST recon- based SST proxies, such as the Mg/Ca ratio or clumped isotopic structions. There are very few terrestrial temperature data from the composition of foraminiferal calcite, indicate significantly elevated (sub)tropics, but almost all estimates indicate mean air temperatures SSTs at all latitudes during the early Palaeogene9. Together, the SST below 22 °C during the early Palaeogene at all latitudes (Fig. 1a). records indicate ocean temperatures significantly higher than mod- These terrestrial temperature estimates are more consistent with ern ones with most estimates from between 60° S and 50° N above climate model simulations10, but considerably lower than SST esti- 22 °C (Fig. 1). mates, which presents a conundrum. To understand this greenhouse Some climate models, such as CCSM3 (Community Climate climate state, independent early Palaeogene temperature estimates System Model version 3), can (partly) reproduce these elevated are needed to test whether temperatures on land were as high as temperatures using 16 times (16 ) the modern-day p levels10, suggested by marine proxies or as low as indicated by most climate × CO2 1Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, School of Earth Sciences, and Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. 2Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA. 3School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. 4Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 5Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK. 6Department of Paleontology, GNS Science, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. 7Coal and Organic Petrology Lab, Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. 8School of Geographical Sciences and Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. *e-mail: [email protected] NATURE GEOSCIENCE | www.nature.com/naturegeoscience ARTICLES NATURE GEOSCIENCE 9 MAATpeat K&D calibr. CLAMP Other leaf physiognomy MBT /CBT Palaeosol Mammal 18O Modern MAAT ′ δ 8 a 32 7 Maximum MAATpeat 28 0% 6 24 1% ) C 5 20 Peat pH ° ( 5% 16 4 12 8 3 10% Temperature 4 12 ) 2 0 5 T- 0510 15 20 25 30 8 G –4 D MAAT (°C) 4 G so i in lignites (% 0 Fig. 2 | isoGDGT in modern peats. Maximum relative abundance of 90° S 60° S 30° S 0 30° N60° N90° N isoGDGT-5 in modern peats plotted against in situ peat pH22 and MAAT22. b 44 Vertical bars reflect the range in pH reported for each peat. The shaded MAATpeat TEX86 40 18 area indicates tropical ombrotrophic peats characterized by an isoGDGT-5 Mg/Ca δ O Δ47 36 Modern SST abundance > 1%. ) 32 Maximum MAATpeat 28 22 24 of modern peats (MAATpeat) was recently developed . This proxy 20 has a calibration error of ± 4.7 °C and reaches saturation at 29.1 °C. 16 It is important that in peat settings, MAATpeat is unlikely to record Temperature (°C 12 12 ) seasonal temperatures, because in peats the brGDGT pool is domi- 5 8 T- nated by bacterial production at a depth below the water table 8 G 4 D where seasonal temperature fluctuations are muted and converge 4 G 22 so to MAATs . As with all palaeothermometers, we assume that the 0 i in lignites (% 0 strong correlation between the degree of methylation of brGDGTs 22 90° S 60° S 30° S 0 30° N60° N90° N and temperature observed in the modern calibration data set was Latitude (°) the same during the early Palaeogene. In addition to Bacteria (that can produce brGDGTs), Archaea Fig. 1 | Early Palaeogene temperature. a, MAATpeat and abundance of also live in peat and their membrane lipids (isoGDGTs) are simi- isoGDGT-5 (bar chart) in early Palaeogene lignites together with published larly preserved in ancient peat and lignite. Here we examined the temperatures using leaf physiognomy (squares), MBT′ /CBT proxy, palaeosol isoGDGT distribution in our previously compiled global database 18 22 proxies and mammalian δ O. b, MAATpeat and abundance of isoGDGT-5 of modern peat . We report isoGDGT-5 (as well as isoGDGT-6 and with published TEX86/BAYSPAR-based (blue circles) and calcite-based 7) in modern mesophilic peats. So far, isoGDGTs with more than SSTs (triangles) for the early Palaeogene. Error bars on the temperature four cyclopentane rings have only been found in hot springs and data reflect the combined spread in data (1$) and calibration uncertainty cultures of (acido) hyperthermophiles23. It has been suggested that (Supplementary Information), and those for isoGDGT-5 reflect 1$ from the the ability to synthesize isoGDGT-5 to 8 is a unique adaptation of average. Supplementary Information gives all data and references. K&D extremophiles and does not occur in mesophilic settings23. However, calibr., Kowalski and Dilcher calibration. our work demonstrates that this biomarker is also present in ombro- trophic (acidic) tropical peats from 20° S–20° N latitudes today. isoGDGT-5 is only present in significant amounts (>1% of total model simulations and many existing terrestrial proxies. For this isoGDGT distribution with 1–5 cyclopentane rings) in tropical and purpose, here we use the distribution of archaeal and bacterial lipids ombrotrophic peats with a pH < 5.1 and MAAT > 19.5 °C (Fig. 2).