10/25/2009 | Faculty of Science
Palm plants thrived in the Arctic 53.5 million years ago
Palm plants thrived in the Arctic 53.5 million years ago, during a transient warm period known as the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2, according to scientists of Utrecht University (NL), the NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NL), TNO (NL) and the University of Bremen (D). Their study is published online in Nature Geoscience this week. The presence of these plants indicates that winter temperatures over the continents in the Arctic region were, on average, higher than eight degrees Celsius.
Appy Sluijs (Utrecht University) and colleagues used marine sediments collected from the Arctic Ocean to assess the environmental changes associated with the rapid warming during the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2. This climate event is generally attributed to a fast rise in atmospheric carbon concentrations. Their reconstructed model of sea surface temperatures peaked at a balmy 27 degrees Celsius, a three to five degrees Celsius rise over background conditions. The presence of palm pollen in the marine sediments revealed that palm plants were prevalent in the high northern latitudes.
More information
Roy Keeris, Utrecht University Press Office, +31 (0)30 253 2411, r.b.keeris@uu.nl.