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Late Jurassic Paleoclimate of Pangea Based on Results from a General Circulation Model

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Biogeochemistry of Global Change

Abstract

The progressive disintegration of Pangea occurred during the Jurassic period. The Late Jurassic Epoch represented a time when rift systems divided Gondwana in two, and separated northern Gondwana from North America. Rising eustatic sea level throughout the Jurassic flooded large parts of the continents particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. These conditions created a series of zonally oriented continents and contributed significantly to climate amelioration in the mid-Mesozoic. This chapter focuses on the changed paleoclimate caused by Pangea’s disintegration.

General circulation models (GCM) that run on today’s supercomputers can be valuable tools in recreating the paleoclimate of brief and important geologic time intervals. We report results from a seasonal GCM simulation for the Late Jurassic. The geological and geochemical record favors an elevated greenhouse effect.

Model results from a simulation using 1120 ppm CO2, four times the preindustrial level, produce a paleoclimate that fits the geologic record. Sea ice is restricted to the high latitudes, making landfall only in restricted areas. The trade winds bring heavy seasonal rainfall to eastern Gondwana and to the Tethys Sea margins. A strong summer monsoon occurs over southeast Asia. The distribution of coal-forming environments correlates with precipitation sufficient to maintain gymnosperm forests and soil moisture distribution. Evaporites are localized to areas of negative precipitation-minus-evaporation. These simulations predict the distribution of large-scale zonal phenomena (e.g., evaporites, carbonates, coals) and more complex, environmentally sensitive deposits (e.g., corals). The GCM results are impressive considering the model’s simplistic nature, coarse grid, and many parameterizations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth System Science Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA

    George T. Moore

  2. Chevron Petroleum Technology Company, La Habra, California, 90631, USA

    Darryl N. Hayashida & Stephen R. Jacobson

  3. GEOSTRAT Consultants, 600 Highland Dr., Bellingham, Washington, 98225, USA

    Charles A. Ross

Authors
  1. George T. Moore
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  2. Darryl N. Hayashida
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  3. Charles A. Ross
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  4. Stephen R. Jacobson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. ISEB, Menlo Park, California, USA

    Ronald S. Oremland (Chairman) (Chairman)

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Moore, G.T., Hayashida, D.N., Ross, C.A., Jacobson, S.R. (1993). Late Jurassic Paleoclimate of Pangea Based on Results from a General Circulation Model. In: Oremland, R.S. (eds) Biogeochemistry of Global Change. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2812-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2812-8_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6215-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-2812-8

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