A Critique of Phanerozoic Climatic Models Involving Changes in The
Earth-Science Reviews 56Ž. 2001 1–159 www.elsevier.comrlocaterearscirev A critique of Phanerozoic climatic models involving changes in the CO2 content of the atmosphere A.J. Boucot a,), Jane Gray b,1 a Department of Zoology, Oregon State UniÕersity, CorÕallis, OR 97331, USA b Department of Biology, UniÕersity of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA Received 28 April 1998; accepted 19 April 2001 Abstract Critical consideration of varied Phanerozoic climatic models, and comparison of them against Phanerozoic global climatic gradients revealed by a compilation of Cambrian through Miocene climatically sensitive sedimentsŽ evaporites, coals, tillites, lateritic soils, bauxites, calcretes, etc.. suggests that the previously postulated climatic models do not satisfactorily account for the geological information. Nor do many climatic conclusions based on botanical data stand up very well when examined critically. Although this account does not deal directly with global biogeographic information, another powerful source of climatic information, we have tried to incorporate such data into our thinking wherever possible, particularly in the earlier Paleozoic. In view of the excellent correlation between CO2 present in Antarctic ice cores, going back some hundreds of thousands of years, and global climatic gradient, one wonders whether or not the commonly postulated Phanerozoic connection between atmospheric CO2 and global climatic gradient is more coincidence than cause and effect. Many models have been proposed that attempt to determine atmospheric composition and global temperature through geological time, particularly for the Phanerozoic or significant portions of it. Many models assume a positive correlation between atmospheric CO2 and surface temperature, thus viewing changes in atmospheric CO2 as playing the critical role in r regulating climate temperature, but none agree on the levels of atmospheric CO2 through time.
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