Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Kick-starting ancient warming

  • Feature
  • Published:

From Nature Geoscience

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Rapid global warming marked the boundary between the Palaeocene and Eocene periods 55.6 million years ago, but how the temperature rise was initiated remains elusive. A catastrophic release of greenhouse gases from the Kilda basin could have served as a trigger.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1: The evolution of the Kilda basin.
Figure 2: The fate of Kilda's methane.

References

  1. Zachos, J. C. et al. Science 308, 1611–1615 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Dickens, G. R. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 213, 169–183 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Svensen, H. et al. Nature 429, 542–545 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Storey, M., Duncan, R. A. & Swisher, C. C. Science 316, 587–589 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Sluijs, A. et al. Nature 450, 1218–1221 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Nisbet, E. G. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 360, 581–607 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Thorpe, R. B., Law, K. S., Bekki, S., Pyle, J. A. & Nisbet, E. G. J. Geophys. Res. 101, 28627–28636 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Nisbet, E. G. Can. J. Earth Sci. 27, 148–157 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Bice, K. L. & Marotzke, J. Paleoceanography 17, 10.1029/2001PA000678 (2002).

  10. Maclennan, J. & Jones, S. M. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 245, 65–80 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Collinson, M. E., Hooker, J. J. & Grocke, D. R. in Causes and Consequences of Globally Warm Climates in the Early Paleogene (eds Wing, S. L., Gingerich, P. D., Schmitz, B. & Thomas, E.) 333–349 (Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap. 369, Boulder, Colorado, 2003).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  12. Sluijs, A. et al. Nature 441, 601–605 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Mudge, D. C. & Bujak, J. P. Mar. Petrol. Geol. 18, 577–590 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Moran, K. et al. Nature 441, 601–605 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Pilskaln, C. H. & Johnson, T. C. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36, 544–557 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhang, Y. Nature 379, 57–59 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Warwick, N. J., Bekki, S., Nisbet, E. G. & Pyle, J. A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31, L05107 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Renssen, H., Beets, C. J., Fichefet, T., Goosse, H. & Kroon, D. Paleoceanography 19, PA2010 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. IPCC. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis (eds Solomon, S. et al.) (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007).

  20. Nicolo, M. J., Dickens, G. R., Hollis, C. J. & Zachos, J. C. Geology 35, 699–702 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to E. G. Nisbet or S. M. Jones.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information (PDF 301 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nisbet, E., Jones, S., Maclennan, J. et al. Kick-starting ancient warming. Nature Geosci 2, 156–159 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo454

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo454

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Navigation