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Marine ecosystem responses to Cenozoic global change
R D Norris1, S Kirtland Turner, P M Hull
1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. rnorris@ucsd.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 3, 2013
Summary
Past warm climates offer insights into future marine ecosystem changes due to global warming. Expect prolonged shifts in ocean conditions and biodiversity over the next 100,000 years.
Area of Science:
- Paleoceanography and Marine Ecology
- Climate Change Science
Background:
- Assessing future marine ecosystem impacts from anthropogenic global change requires understanding past climate shifts.
- High atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure events in Earth's history provide valuable analogs.
Observation:
- Early Cenozoic warm climate (geological record) featured smaller polar ecosystems, limited coral-algal reefs, and reduced ocean oxygenation.
- This period also saw expanded shallow-water platforms and longer food chains with diminished energy for apex predators.
Findings:
- Climate transients (10,000–200,000 years) during the early Cenozoic are the closest analogs for future ocean states.
- Future oceans will blend characteristics of past greenhouse worlds with elements of the current icehouse world.
Implications:
- Marine ecosystems face continuous, long-term (100,000 years) adaptation due to changing temperatures, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, and productivity shifts.
- Understanding past climate transients is crucial for predicting the resilience and trajectory of marine life under sustained global change.
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