Climate Change Is Approaching Levels Of Paleocene Eocene...

Climate change is approaching levels of Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum about 55.9 million years ago, when a large natural release of CO2 occurred. This paper looks at the difference between this period and anthropogenic CO2 release happening now over a much shorter period of time. The first portion of this article discusses the similarities and differences between the PETM period and the current rapid release CO2 due to anthropogenic contributions. The lasting effect of the PETM, increased temperatures and CO2 levels for the next 150,000 years, support the claim that the effects of humans burning fossil fuels will have a lasting effect. The fact that this CO2 release happened on a timescale compressed more than 20 times provides evidence that the Earth may warm even more than many modern theories support. This relates to our class topic on the cyclical nature of climate and how anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are interrupting this cycle. The second portion of the article discussed the effects over the course of the PETM on terrestrial species. Many of these animal were forced to migrate long distances poleward or upward and it was during this period that many animals crossed land bridges between continents. Globally, ecosystems during the event were notably different than in other periods. Not just large animals were affected by the change, many insects and plants shared notably different characteristics than in other time periods. A study by Dr. Wing and Dr.