Impact of global cooling on Early Cretaceous high pCO2 world during the Weissert Event

Liyenne Cavalheiro, Thomas Wagner (), Sebastian Steinig, Cinzia Bottini, Wolf Dummann, Onoriode Esegbue, Gabriele Gambacorta, Victor Giraldo-Gómez, Alexander Farnsworth, Sascha Flögel, Peter Hofmann, Daniel J. Lunt, Janet Rethemeyer, Stefano Torricelli and Elisabetta Erba
Additional contact information
Liyenne Cavalheiro: University of Milan
Thomas Wagner: The Lyell Centre, Heriot–Watt University
Sebastian Steinig: University of Bristol
Cinzia Bottini: University of Milan
Wolf Dummann: Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne
Onoriode Esegbue: The Lyell Centre, Heriot–Watt University
Gabriele Gambacorta: Eni S.p.A. Natural Resources–Geology and Geophysics Research and Technological Innovation, San Donato Milanese
Victor Giraldo-Gómez: University of Milan
Alexander Farnsworth: University of Bristol
Sascha Flögel: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research
Peter Hofmann: Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne
Daniel J. Lunt: University of Bristol
Janet Rethemeyer: Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne
Stefano Torricelli: Eni S.p.A. Natural Resources–Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Petrography Department, San Donato Milanese
Elisabetta Erba: University of Milan

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The Weissert Event ~133 million years ago marked a profound global cooling that punctuated the Early Cretaceous greenhouse. We present modelling, high-resolution bulk organic carbon isotopes and chronostratigraphically calibrated sea surface temperature (SSTs) based on an organic paleothermometer (the TEX86 proxy), which capture the Weissert Event in the semi-enclosed Weddell Sea basin, offshore Antarctica (paleolatitude ~54 °S; paleowater depth ~500 meters). We document a ~3–4 °C drop in SST coinciding with the Weissert cold end, and converge the Weddell Sea data, climate simulations and available worldwide multi-proxy based temperature data towards one unifying solution providing a best-fit between all lines of evidence. The outcome confirms a 3.0 °C ( ±1.7 °C) global mean surface cooling across the Weissert Event, which translates into a ~40% drop in atmospheric pCO2 over a period of ~700 thousand years. Consistent with geologic evidence, this pCO2 drop favoured the potential build-up of local polar ice.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25706-0

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