Prehistoric Warm Periods Can Help Predict Future Climate Change

First Posted: Apr 27, 2016 05:20 AM EDT
Close

Humans can look to the past to predict future changes in climate, according to a recent report. The study can be beneficial for understanding extreme weather, mass extinctions and melting ice sheets due to increased carbon dioxide emissions in the future.

On the basis of a report published in Nature Journal, researchers are analyzing the climate conditions and their impact during the last time our planet experienced carbon dioxide levels similar to those expected in the coming decades. The Eocene period, which occurred 56 million to 34 million years, is a good model to base the study on. The period started with a spell of extreme warmth around 10 million years after the last of the dinosaurs died, and palm trees grew near the East Antarctic coastline and alligators inhabited the Canadian Arctic. Over time, the earth eventually cooled down and brought an end to the Eocene period with the creation of Antarctica's large ice sheet.

The carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere during the Eocene period were much higher than the present day figures, and researchers estimate it to be in the bracket of  700 and 1,400 parts per million. These numbers are being estimated to be similar to the figures which will be found on our planet by the end of this century; therefore, scientists are increasingly looking back at the Eocene period to help understand future climate change.

A UK-wide research team developed new records of past carbon dioxide levels by studying ancient ocean sediments, in particular, marine fossils called foraminfera whose intricate shells captured the chemical quotient of the seawater they inhabited. On the basis of their observations, the scientists concluded that elevated levels of carbon dioxide were responsible for the exceedingly high temperature prevalent during the early Eocene. The consequent decline of the gas resulted in a cool down period and the subsequent formation of polar ice sheets.

"This research can also be used to gain a better understanding of how the Earth will respond to increasing levels of CO2 in the future," said Professor Gavin Foster from the University of Southampton. "After accounting for changes in vegetation and how the continents were arranged in the past, and correcting for the effect relating to the lack of ice sheets in the Eocene, we found that the sensitivity of the climate system to CO2 forcing in the warm Eocene was similar to that predicted by the IPCC for our warm future". According to another scientist on the team, the findings will also help in predicting future climate warming due to rapid anthropogenic carbon dioxide increase.

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

©2017 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics