Absolute seasonal temperature estimates from clumped isotopes in bivalve shells suggest warm and variable greenhouse climate

Niels J. de Winter; Inigo A. Müller; Ilja J. Kocken; Nicolas Thibault; Clemens V. Ullmann; Alex Farnsworth; Daniel J. Lunt; Philippe Claeys; Martin Ziegler

doi:10.1038/s43247-021-00193-9

Absolute seasonal temperature estimates from clumped isotopes in bivalve shells suggest warm and variable greenhouse climate

Niels J. de Winter^*
, Inigo A. Müller
, Ilja J. Kocken
, Nicolas Thibault
, Clemens V. Ullmann
, Alex Farnsworth
, Daniel J. Lunt
, Philippe Claeys
, Martin Ziegler

^*Corresponding author for this work

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Seasonal variability in sea surface temperatures plays a fundamental role in climate dynamics and species distribution. Seasonal bias can also severely compromise the accuracy of mean annual temperature reconstructions. It is therefore essential to better understand seasonal variability in climates of the past. Many reconstructions of climate in deep time neglect this issue and rely on controversial assumptions, such as estimates of sea water oxygen isotope composition. Here we present absolute seasonal temperature reconstructions based on clumped isotope measurements in bivalve shells which, critically, do not rely on these assumptions. We reconstruct highly precise monthly sea surface temperatures at around 50 °N latitude from individual oyster and rudist shells of the Campanian greenhouse period about 78 million years ago, when the seasonal range at 50 °N comprised 15 to 27 °C. In agreement with fully coupled climate model simulations, we find that greenhouse climates outside the tropics were warmer and more seasonal than previously thought. We conclude that seasonal bias and assumptions about seawater composition can distort temperature reconstructions and our understanding of past greenhouse climates.

Original language	English
Article number	121
Pages (from-to)	1-8
Number of pages	8
Journal	Communications Earth & Environment
Volume	2
Early online date	10 Jun 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00193-9
Publication status	Published - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

Funding

The authors thank Mattia Tagliavento, Laiming Zhang, and an anonymous reviewer for their comments that have helped improve the manuscript, as well as Heike Langenberg for moderating the review process. We thank Prof. Ethan Grossmann for his helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript. The authors thank Anne Sørensen and Finn Surlyk for their help with sample acquisition and the Department of Geoscience of the University of Copenhagen for permission for destructive sampling of the specimens for isotope analyses. N.J.W. is funded by the Flemish Research Council (FWO; junior postdoc grant; 12ZB220N) and the European Commission (MSCA Individual Fellowship; UNBIAS project 843011). N.T. acknowledges Carslbergfondet CF16-0457. P.C. would like to acknowledge funding from the VUB Strategic Research grant (internal). The authors would like to thank Bart Lippens for help with sample preparation, Arnold van Dijk for analytical support, and Anne Sørensen for helping with sample collection. The authors thank Mattia Tagliavento, Laiming Zhang, and an anonymous reviewer for their comments that have helped improve the manuscript, as well as Heike Langenberg for moderating the review process. We thank Prof. Ethan Grossmann for his helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript. The authors thank Anne Sørensen and Finn Surlyk for their help with sample acquisition and the Department of Geoscience of the University of Copenhagen for permission for destructive sampling of the specimens for isotope analyses. N.J.W. is funded by the Flemish Research Council (FWO; junior postdoc grant; 12ZB220N) and the European Commission (MSCA Individual Fellowship; UNBIAS project 843011). N.T. acknowledges Carslbergfondet CF16-0457. P.C. would like to acknowledge funding from the VUB Strategic Research grant (internal). The authors would like to thank Bart Lippens for help with sample preparation, Arnold van Dijk for analytical support, and Anne Sørensen for helping with sample collection.

Funders	Funder number
Arnold van Dijk
Department of Geoscience of the University of Copenhagen
Flemish Research Council
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions	CF16-0457, 843011
European Commission
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek	12ZB220N
Vrije Universiteit Brussel

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14 Life Below Water

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10.1038/s43247-021-00193-9

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title = "Absolute seasonal temperature estimates from clumped isotopes in bivalve shells suggest warm and variable greenhouse climate",

abstract = "Seasonal variability in sea surface temperatures plays a fundamental role in climate dynamics and species distribution. Seasonal bias can also severely compromise the accuracy of mean annual temperature reconstructions. It is therefore essential to better understand seasonal variability in climates of the past. Many reconstructions of climate in deep time neglect this issue and rely on controversial assumptions, such as estimates of sea water oxygen isotope composition. Here we present absolute seasonal temperature reconstructions based on clumped isotope measurements in bivalve shells which, critically, do not rely on these assumptions. We reconstruct highly precise monthly sea surface temperatures at around 50 °N latitude from individual oyster and rudist shells of the Campanian greenhouse period about 78 million years ago, when the seasonal range at 50 °N comprised 15 to 27 °C. In agreement with fully coupled climate model simulations, we find that greenhouse climates outside the tropics were warmer and more seasonal than previously thought. We conclude that seasonal bias and assumptions about seawater composition can distort temperature reconstructions and our understanding of past greenhouse climates.",

author = "\{de Winter\}, \{Niels J.\} and M{\"u}ller, \{Inigo A.\} and Kocken, \{Ilja J.\} and Nicolas Thibault and Ullmann, \{Clemens V.\} and Alex Farnsworth and Lunt, \{Daniel J.\} and Philippe Claeys and Martin Ziegler",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

year = "2021",

doi = "10.1038/s43247-021-00193-9",

language = "English",

volume = "2",

pages = "1--8",

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AU - de Winter, Niels J.

AU - Müller, Inigo A.

AU - Kocken, Ilja J.

AU - Thibault, Nicolas

AU - Ullmann, Clemens V.

AU - Farnsworth, Alex

AU - Lunt, Daniel J.

AU - Claeys, Philippe

AU - Ziegler, Martin

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Seasonal variability in sea surface temperatures plays a fundamental role in climate dynamics and species distribution. Seasonal bias can also severely compromise the accuracy of mean annual temperature reconstructions. It is therefore essential to better understand seasonal variability in climates of the past. Many reconstructions of climate in deep time neglect this issue and rely on controversial assumptions, such as estimates of sea water oxygen isotope composition. Here we present absolute seasonal temperature reconstructions based on clumped isotope measurements in bivalve shells which, critically, do not rely on these assumptions. We reconstruct highly precise monthly sea surface temperatures at around 50 °N latitude from individual oyster and rudist shells of the Campanian greenhouse period about 78 million years ago, when the seasonal range at 50 °N comprised 15 to 27 °C. In agreement with fully coupled climate model simulations, we find that greenhouse climates outside the tropics were warmer and more seasonal than previously thought. We conclude that seasonal bias and assumptions about seawater composition can distort temperature reconstructions and our understanding of past greenhouse climates.

AB - Seasonal variability in sea surface temperatures plays a fundamental role in climate dynamics and species distribution. Seasonal bias can also severely compromise the accuracy of mean annual temperature reconstructions. It is therefore essential to better understand seasonal variability in climates of the past. Many reconstructions of climate in deep time neglect this issue and rely on controversial assumptions, such as estimates of sea water oxygen isotope composition. Here we present absolute seasonal temperature reconstructions based on clumped isotope measurements in bivalve shells which, critically, do not rely on these assumptions. We reconstruct highly precise monthly sea surface temperatures at around 50 °N latitude from individual oyster and rudist shells of the Campanian greenhouse period about 78 million years ago, when the seasonal range at 50 °N comprised 15 to 27 °C. In agreement with fully coupled climate model simulations, we find that greenhouse climates outside the tropics were warmer and more seasonal than previously thought. We conclude that seasonal bias and assumptions about seawater composition can distort temperature reconstructions and our understanding of past greenhouse climates.

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Absolute seasonal temperature estimates from clumped isotopes in bivalve shells suggest warm and variable greenhouse climate

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

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