Research
How the Southern Ocean helped fuel Earth's warmest climate in 65 million years
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- About 50 million years ago, Earth's climate was the warmest since the extinction of the dinosaurs.
- Global temperatures were more than 10°C higher than today, and atmospheric CO₂ reached around 1,600 parts per million.
- The article examines what kept CO₂ levels so high during that period, with the Southern Ocean identified as a contributing factor.
Why it matters
The episode is a deep-time analogue for high-CO₂ climates, helping researchers test how ocean processes regulate atmospheric carbon over long timescales.
Who’s affected
- climate scientists and paleoclimate researchers
- oceanographers studying the Southern Ocean
- #paleoclimate
- #southern ocean
- #carbon cycle
- #warm climate
- #co2
About 50 million years ago, Earth experienced its warmest climate since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Global temperatures were more than 10°C higher than today, and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations reached around 1,600 parts per million. But what kept CO₂ levels so…