Trends, Rhythms, and Aberrations in Global Climate 65 Ma to Present

Since 65 million years ago (Ma), Earth's climate has undergone a significant and complex evolution, the finer details of which are now coming to light through investigations of deep-sea sediment cores. This evolution includes gradual trends of warming and cooling driven by tectonic processes on...

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Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 292; no. 5517; pp. 686 - 693
Main Authors Zachos, James, Pagani, Mark, Sloan, Lisa, Thomas, Ellen, Billups, Katharina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Society for the Advancement of Science 27.04.2001
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Subjects
Animals
Axial tilt
Carbon Isotopes - analysis
Climate
Climate change
Climate cycles
Climate models
Earth
Eukaryota
Evolution
Geologic Sediments
Geological time
Geology
Global climate models
Greenhouse Effect
Ice
Isotopes
Numerical eccentricity
Oceans
Orbits
Orbits (Astrophysics)
Oxygen Isotopes - analysis
Paleoclimatology
Plankton
Plate Tectonics
Reviews
Scientific Concepts
Temperature
Time
Topography
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Summary:Since 65 million years ago (Ma), Earth's climate has undergone a significant and complex evolution, the finer details of which are now coming to light through investigations of deep-sea sediment cores. This evolution includes gradual trends of warming and cooling driven by tectonic processes on time scales of 105to 107years, rhythmic or periodic cycles driven by orbital processes with 104- to 106-year cyclicity, and rare rapid aberrant shifts and extreme climate transients with durations of 103to 105years. Here, recent progress in defining the evolution of global climate over the Cenozoic Era is reviewed. We focus primarily on the periodic and anomalous components of variability over the early portion of this era, as constrained by the latest generation of deep-sea isotope records. We also consider how this improved perspective has led to the recognition of previously unforeseen mechanisms for altering climate.
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ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1059412