ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8652-5489
Current Organisation
University of Connecticut
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-09-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2017
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: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 04-08-2020
Abstract: Abstract. Early Eocene climates were globally warm, with ice-free conditions at both poles. Early Eocene polar landmasses supported extensive forest ecosystems of a primarily temperate biota but also with abundant thermophilic elements, such as crocodilians, and mesothermic taxodioid conifers and angiosperms. The globally warm early Eocene was punctuated by geologically brief hyperthermals such as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), culminating in the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), during which the range of thermophilic plants such as palms extended into the Arctic. Climate models have struggled to reproduce early Eocene Arctic warm winters and high precipitation, with models invoking a variety of mechanisms, from atmospheric CO2 levels that are unsupported by proxy evidence to the role of an enhanced hydrological cycle, to reproduce winters that experienced no direct solar energy input yet remained wet and above freezing. Here, we provide new estimates of climate and compile existing paleobotanical proxy data for upland and lowland midlatitude sites in British Columbia, Canada, and northern Washington, USA, and from high-latitude lowland sites in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic to compare climatic regimes between the middle and high latitudes of the early Eocene – spanning the PETM to the EECO – in the northern half of North America. In addition, these data are used to reevaluate the latitudinal temperature gradient in North America during the early Eocene and to provide refined biome interpretations of these ancient forests based on climate and physiognomic data.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-03-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-23147-2
Abstract: Fossil palms provide qualitative evidence of (sub-) tropical conditions and frost-free winters in the geological past, including modern cold climate regions (e.g., boreal, or polar climates). The freeze intolerance of palms varies across different organs and life stages, with seedlings in particular less tolerant of sub-zero temperatures than adult plants, limiting successful establishment of populations while permitting adult palms to survive in cultivation outside their natural ranges. Quantitatively, palms indicate minimum cold month mean temperature (CMMT) at 2–8 °C in palaeoclimate reconstructions. These data have accentuated model-proxy mismatches for high latitudes during Paleogene hyperthermals when palms expanded poleward in both hemispheres. We constructed a manually filtered dataset of ,000 georeferenced Arecaceae records, by eliminating cultivars. Statistically derived mean annual temperature, mean annual temperature range, and CMMT thresholds for the Arecaceae and lower rank subfamilies and tribes reveal large differences in temperature sensitivity depending on lower taxonomic classification. Cold tolerant tribes such as the Trachycarpeae produce thresholds as low as CMMT ≥ 2.2 °C. However, within the palm family, CMMT 5 °C is anomalous. Moreover, palm expansion into temperate biomes is likely a post-Palaeogene event. We recognize a CMMT ≥ 5.2 °C threshold for the palm family, unless a lower taxonomic rank can be assigned.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/BOJ.12284
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-01-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 16-05-2017
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 24-03-2020
DOI: 10.5194/CP-2020-32
Abstract: Abstract. Early Eocene climates were globally warm, with ice-free conditions at both poles. Early Eocene polar landmasses supported extensive forest ecosystems of a primarily temperate biota, but also with abundant thermophilic elements such as crocodilians, and mesothermic taxodioid conifers and angiosperms. The globally warm early Eocene was punctuated by geologically brief hyperthermals such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), culminating in the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), during which the range of thermophilic plants such as palms extended into the Arctic. Climate models have struggled to reproduce early Eocene Arctic warm winters and high precipitation, with models invoking a variety of mechanisms, from atmospheric CO2 levels that are unsupported by proxy evidence, to the role of an enhanced hydrological cycle to reproduce winters that experienced no direct solar energy input yet remained wet and above freezing. Here, we provide new estimates of climate, and compile existing paleobotanical proxy data for upland and lowland mid-latitudes sites in British Columbia, Canada, and northern Washington, USA, and from high-latitude lowland sites in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic to compare climatic regimes between mid- and high latitudes of the early Eocene – spanning the PETM to the EECO – of the northern half of North America. In addition, these data are used to reevaluate the latitudinal temperate gradient in North America during the early Eocene, and to provide refined biome interpretations of these ancient forests based on climate and physiognomic data.
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: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1029/2022PA004419
Abstract: The early Eocene (∼56–48 Myr ago) is characterized by high CO 2 estimates (1,200–2,500 ppmv) and elevated global temperatures (∼10°C–16°C higher than modern). However, the response of the hydrological cycle during the early Eocene is poorly constrained, especially in regions with sparse data coverage (e.g., Africa). Here, we present a study of African hydroclimate during the early Eocene, as simulated by an ensemble of state‐of‐the‐art climate models in the Deep‐time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP). A comparison between the DeepMIP pre‐industrial simulations and modern observations suggests that model biases are model‐ and geographically dependent, however, these biases are reduced in the model ensemble mean. A comparison between the Eocene simulations and the pre‐industrial suggests that there is no obvious wetting or drying trend as the CO 2 increases. The results suggest that changes to the land sea mask (relative to modern) in the models may be responsible for the simulated increases in precipitation to the north of Eocene Africa. There is an increase in precipitation over equatorial and West Africa and associated drying over northern Africa as CO 2 rises. There are also important dynamical changes, with evidence that anticyclonic low‐level circulation is replaced by increased south‐westerly flow at high CO 2 levels. Lastly, a model‐data comparison using newly compiled quantitative climate estimates from paleobotanical proxy data suggests a marginally better fit with the reconstructions at lower levels of CO 2 .
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 26-05-2022
DOI: 10.1029/2022PA004418
Abstract: During the early to middle Eocene, a mid‐to‐high latitudinal position and enhanced hydrological cycle in Australia would have contributed to a wetter and “greener” Australian continent where today arid to semi‐arid climates dominate. Here, we revisit 12 southern Australian plant megafossil sites from the early to middle Eocene to generate temperature, precipitation, and seasonality paleoclimate estimates, net primary productivity (NPP), and vegetation type, based on paleobotanical proxies and compare them to early Eocene global climate models. Temperature reconstructions are uniformly subtropical (mean annual, summer, and winter mean temperatures 19–21°C, 25–27°C, and 14–16°C, respectively), indicating that southern Australia was ∼5°C warmer than today, despite a ° poleward shift from its modern geographic location. Precipitation was less homogeneous than temperature, with mean annual precipitation of ∼60 cm over inland sites and cm over coastal sites. Precipitation may have been seasonal with the driest month receiving 2–7× less than the mean monthly precipitation. Proxy‐model comparison is favorable with a 1,680 ppm CO 2 concentration. However, in idual proxy reconstructions can disagree with models as well as with each other. In particular, seasonality reconstructions have systemic offsets. NPP estimates were higher than modern, implying a more homogenously “green” southern Australia in the early to middle Eocene when this part of Australia was at 48–64°S and larger carbon fluxes to and from the Australian biosphere. The most similar modern vegetation type is modern‐day eastern Australian subtropical forest, although the distance from coast and latitude may have led to vegetation heterogeneity.
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for Tammo Reichgelt.