Tropical sea temperatures in the high-latitude South Pacific during the Eocene

Christopher J. Hollis; Luke Handley; Erica M. Crouch; Hugh E.G. Morgans; Joel A. Baker; John Creech; Katie S. Collins; Samantha J. Gibbs; Matthew Huber; Stefan Schouten; James C. Zachos; Richard D. Pancost

doi:10.1130/G25200A.1

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Research Article| February 01, 2009

Tropical sea temperatures in the high-latitude South Pacific during the Eocene

Christopher J. Hollis;

Christopher J. Hollis

1

GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand

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Luke Handley;

Luke Handley

2

Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK

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Erica M. Crouch;

Erica M. Crouch

1

GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand

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Hugh E.G. Morgans;

Hugh E.G. Morgans

1

GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand

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Joel A. Baker;

Joel A. Baker

3

School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

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John Creech;

John Creech

3

School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

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Katie S. Collins;

Katie S. Collins

3

School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

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Samantha J. Gibbs;

Samantha J. Gibbs

4

School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK

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Matthew Huber;

Matthew Huber

5

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA

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Stefan Schouten;

Stefan Schouten

6

NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research), Department of Marine Organic Biogeochemistry, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands

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James C. Zachos;

James C. Zachos

7

Earth Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA

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Richard D. Pancost

2

Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK

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Author and Article Information

Christopher J. Hollis

1

GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand

Luke Handley

2

Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK

Erica M. Crouch

1

GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand

Hugh E.G. Morgans

1

GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand

Joel A. Baker

3

School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

John Creech

3

School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Katie S. Collins

3

School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Samantha J. Gibbs

4

School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK

Matthew Huber

5

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA

Stefan Schouten

6

NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research), Department of Marine Organic Biogeochemistry, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands

James C. Zachos

7

Earth Sciences Department, University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA

Richard D. Pancost

2

Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK

Publisher: Geological Society of America

Received: 04 Jun 2008

Revision Received: 15 Sep 2008

Accepted: 22 Sep 2008

First Online: 12 Oct 2017

Online ISSN: 1943-2682

Print ISSN: 0091-7613

Geology (2009) 37 (2): 99–102.

https://doi.org/10.1130/G25200A.1

Abstract

Sea-surface temperature (SST) estimates of ~30 °C from planktic foraminifera and archaeal membrane lipids in bathyal sediments in the Canterbury Basin, New Zealand, support paleontological evidence for a warm subtropical to tropical climate in the early Eocene high-latitude (55°S) southwest Pacific. Such warm SSTs call into question previous estimates based on oxygen isotopes and present a major challenge to climate modelers. Even under hypergreenhouse conditions (2240 ppm CO₂), modeled summer SSTs for the New Zealand region do not exceed 20 °C.

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