ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6063-836X
Current Organisations
Umeå University
,
University of Western Australia
,
Universiteit Utrecht
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Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-07-2014
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 09-2020
Abstract: Abstract. Global climate cooled from the early Eocene hothouse (∼52–50 Ma) to the latest Eocene (∼34 Ma). At the same time, the tectonic evolution of the Southern Ocean was characterized by the opening and deepening of circum-Antarctic gateways, which affected both surface- and deep-ocean circulation. The Tasmanian Gateway played a key role in regulating ocean throughflow between Australia and Antarctica. Southern Ocean surface currents through and around the Tasmanian Gateway have left recognizable tracers in the spatiotemporal distribution of plankton fossils, including organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts. This spatiotemporal distribution depends on both the physicochemical properties of the water masses and the path of surface-ocean currents. The extent to which climate and tectonics have influenced the distribution and composition of surface currents and thus fossil assemblages has, however, remained unclear. In particular, the contribution of climate change to oceanographic changes, superimposed on long-term and gradual changes induced by tectonics, is still poorly understood. To disentangle the effects of tectonism and climate in the southwest Pacific Ocean, we target a climatic deviation from the long-term Eocene cooling trend: the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO ∼40 Ma). This 500 kyr phase of global warming was unrelated to regional tectonism, and thus provides a test case to investigate the ocean's physicochemical response to climate change alone. We reconstruct changes in surface-water circulation and temperature in and around the Tasmanian Gateway during the MECO through new palynological and organic geochemical records from the central Tasmanian Gateway (Ocean Drilling Program Site 1170), the Otway Basin (southeastern Australia), and the H den Beach section (New Zealand). Our results confirm that dinocyst communities track specific surface-ocean currents, yet the variability within the communities can be driven by superimposed temperature change. Together with published results from the east of the Tasmanian Gateway, our new results suggest a shift in surface-ocean circulation during the peak of MECO warmth. Simultaneous with high sea-surface temperatures in the Tasmanian Gateway area, pollen assemblages indicate warm temperate rainforests with paratropical elements along the southeastern margin of Australia. Finally, based on new age constraints, we suggest that a regional southeast Australian transgression might have been coincident with the MECO.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-09-2022
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 06-2023
DOI: 10.1029/2022PA004542
Abstract: Earth's hydrological cycle is expected to intensify in response to global warming, with a “wet‐gets‐wetter, dry‐gets‐drier” response anticipated over the ocean. Subtropical regions (∼15°–30°N/S) are predicted to become drier, yet proxy evidence from past warm climates suggests these regions may be characterized by wetter conditions. Here we use an integrated data‐modeling approach to reconstruct global and zonal‐mean rainfall patterns during the early Eocene (∼56–48 million years ago). The Deep‐Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP) model ensemble indicates that the mid‐ (30°–60°N/S) and high‐latitudes ( °N/S) are characterized by a thermodynamically dominated hydrological response to warming and overall wetter conditions. The tropical band (0°–15°N/S) is also characterized by wetter conditions, with several DeepMIP models simulating narrowing of the Inter‐Tropical Convergence Zone. However, the latter is not evident from the proxy data. The subtropics are characterized by negative precipitation‐evaporation anomalies (i.e., drier conditions) in the DeepMIP models, but there is surprisingly large inter‐model variability in mean annual precipitation (MAP). Intriguingly, we find that models with weaker meridional temperature gradients (e.g., CESM, GFDL) are characterized by a reduction in subtropical moisture ergence, leading to an increase in MAP. These model simulations agree more closely with our new proxy‐derived precipitation reconstructions and other key climate metrics and imply that the early Eocene was characterized by reduced subtropical moisture ergence. If the meridional temperature gradient was even weaker than suggested by those DeepMIP models, circulation‐induced changes may have outcompeted thermodynamic changes, leading to wetter subtropics. This highlights the importance of accurately reconstructing zonal temperature gradients when reconstructing past rainfall patterns.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2015
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 26-10-2020
Abstract: Abstract. Accurate estimates of past global mean surface temperature (GMST) help to contextualise future climate change and are required to estimate the sensitivity of the climate system to CO2 forcing through Earth's history. Previous GMST estimates for the latest Paleocene and early Eocene (∼57 to 48 million years ago) span a wide range (∼9 to 23 ∘C higher than pre-industrial) and prevent an accurate assessment of climate sensitivity during this extreme greenhouse climate interval. Using the most recent data compilations, we employ a multi-method experimental framework to calculate GMST during the three DeepMIP target intervals: (1) the latest Paleocene (∼57 Ma), (2) the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM 56 Ma), and (3) the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO 53.3 to 49.1 Ma). Using six different methodologies, we find that the average GMST estimate (66 % confidence) during the latest Paleocene, PETM, and EECO was 26.3 ∘C (22.3 to 28.3 ∘C), 31.6 ∘C (27.2 to 34.5 ∘C), and 27.0 ∘C (23.2 to 29.7 ∘C), respectively. GMST estimates from the EECO are ∼10 to 16 ∘C warmer than pre-industrial, higher than the estimate given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (9 to 14 ∘C higher than pre-industrial). Leveraging the large “signal” associated with these extreme warm climates, we combine estimates of GMST and CO2 from the latest Paleocene, PETM, and EECO to calculate gross estimates of the average climate sensitivity between the early Paleogene and today. We demonstrate that “bulk” equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS 66 % confidence) during the latest Paleocene, PETM, and EECO is 4.5 ∘C (2.4 to 6.8 ∘C), 3.6 ∘C (2.3 to 4.7 ∘C), and 3.1 ∘C (1.8 to 4.4 ∘C) per doubling of CO2. These values are generally similar to those assessed by the IPCC (1.5 to 4.5 ∘C per doubling CO2) but appear incompatible with low ECS values ( .5 per doubling CO2).
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2019
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 04-04-2019
DOI: 10.5194/CP-2019-35
Abstract: Abstract. Global climate cooled from the early Eocene hothouse (~ 52–50 Ma) to the latest Eocene (~ 34 Ma). At the same time, the tectonic evolution of the Southern Ocean was characterized by the opening and deepening of circum-Antarctic gateways, which affected both surface- and deep-ocean circulation. The Tasman Gateway played a key role in regulating ocean throughflow between Australia and Antarctica. Southern Ocean surface currents through and around the Tasman Gateway have left recognizable tracers in the spatiotemporal distribution of plankton fossils, including organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts. This spatiotemporal distribution depends on physico-chemical properties of the water masses in which these organisms thrived. The degree to which the geographic path of surface currents (primarily controlled by tectonism) or their physico-chemical properties (significantly impacted by climate) have controlled the composition of the fossil assemblages has, however, remained unclear. In fact, it is yet poorly understood to what extent oceanographic response as a whole was dictated by climate change, independent of tectonics-induced oceanographic changes that operate on longer time scales. To disentangle the effects of tectonism and climate in the southwest Pacific Ocean, we target a climatic deviation from the long-term Eocene cooling trend, a 500 thousand year long global warming phase termed the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO ~ 40 Ma). The MECO warming is unrelated to regional tectonism, and thus provides a test case to investigate the oceans physiochemical response to climate change only. We reconstruct changes in surface-water circulation and temperature in and around the Tasman Gateway during the MECO through new palynological and organic geochemical records from the central Tasman Gateway (Ocean Drilling Program Site 1170), the Otway Basin (southeastern Australia) and the H den Section (New Zealand). Our results confirm that dinocyst communities track tectonically driven circulation patterns, yet the variability within these communities can be driven by superimposed temperature change. Together with published results from the east of the Tasman Gateway, our results suggest that as surface-ocean temperatures rose, the East Australian Current extended further southward during the peak of MECO warmth. Simultaneous with high sea-surface temperatures in the Tasman Gateway area, pollen assemblages indicate warm temperate rainforests with paratropical elements along the southeastern margin of Australia. Finally, based on new age constraints we suggest that a regional southeast Australian transgression might have been caused by sea-level rise during MECO.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 03-07-2020
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 03-2023
DOI: 10.1029/2022PA004529
Abstract: To assess zonal temperature and biogeographical patterns in the Southern Ocean during the Paleogene, we present new multi‐proxy air‐ and sea‐surface temperature data for the latest Paleocene (∼57–56 Ma) and the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM ∼56 Ma) from the northern margin of the Australo‐Antarctic Gulf (AAG). The various proxy data sets document the well‐known late Paleocene warming and, superimposed, two transient late Paleocene pre‐cursor warming events, hundreds of kyr prior to the PETM. Remarkably, temperature reconstructions for the AAG and southwest Pacific during the latest Paleocene, PETM and Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (∼53–49 Ma) show similar trends as well as similar absolute temperatures east and west of the closed Tasmanian Gateway. Our data imply that the exceptional warmth as recorded by previous studies for the southwest Pacific extended westward into the AAG. This contrasts with modeling‐derived circulation and temperature patterns. We suggest that simulations of ocean circulation underestimate heat transport in the southwest Pacific due to insufficient resolution, not allowing for mesoscale eddy‐related heat transport. We argue for a systematic approach to tackle model and proxy biases that may occur in marginal marine settings and non‐analog high‐latitude climates to assess the temperature reconstructions.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 04-04-2019
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Marlow J. Cramwinckel.