Explore the dramatic climate shifts of the Paleogene period in this 21-minute video lecture. Learn about the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a sudden intense warming event triggered by methane release, and its impact on ocean circulation and life. Discover how the Early Eocene Optimum (EEO) extended warm conditions globally, followed by a long-term cooling trend leading to the Eocene-Oligocene Ice Age. Understand the tectonic factors that contributed to Antarctic isolation and the onset of modern ocean circulation. Examine the consequences of these climate changes on terrestrial vegetation, mammalian evolution, and Earth's overall environmental regime. Gain insights into the complex interplay of greenhouse gases, ocean dynamics, and tectonic processes that shaped our planet's climate history.
Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum to Eocene-Oligocene Cooling - GEO GIRL
Overview
Syllabus
When was the Paleogene?
Climate trends in the Paleogene
Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum PETM
Role of greenhouse gases in PETM
Role of warm poles in PETM
Early Eocene Warming EEO
Warm poles continued to weaken T gradients
How life was affected by PETM & EEO
Cooling in the middle to late Eocene
Eocene-Oligocene Cooling start of Ice Age!
Beginning of modern ocean circulation
Isolation of Antarctica caused cooling?
C sinks accentuated cooling
Mass extinctions due to global cooling
Tropical forests became dry woodlands & grasslands
Mammal changes in new environment
This cooling event changed Earth forever!
Taught by
GEO GIRL
