Vol. 3 • No. 1 • Spring 2007
GeoSystemsNews
deep-time
In this issue ...
News
Research Highlights
Upcoming Meetings/Previous Meetings
Opportunities
GeoSystems Steering Committee
Greetings,
G.S. (Lynn) Soreghan (Chair)
University of Oklahoma
lsoreg @ ou.edu
Welcome to the spring 2007 edition of the
GeoSystems newsletter. This newsletter is intended as
a means to encourage community building for those
geoscientists interested in Earth’s climate system,
with an emphasis on the ‘deep time’ (pre-Quaternary)
system. If you are receiving this, then you are
likely registered on the GeoSystems website (www.
geosystems.org). Please encourage colleagues and
students to participate by registering and by sending
relevant material for inclusion in future newsletters
(send to lsoreg @ ou.edu).
Tim Bralower
Pennsylvania State University
bralower @ geosc.psu.edu
Mark Chandler
Columbia University nasa/giss
mac59 @ columbia.edu
Jeff Kiehl
National Center for Atmospheric Research (ncar)
jtkon @ ucar.edu
In addition to the community activity continuing in
deep-time climate research, we are making progress
on larger-scale efforts to highlight the capabilities and
relevance of research on Earth’s deep-time climate
system. Key among these efforts is the launching of
a National Research Council (nrc) study on “The
Importance of Deep-Time Geologic Records for
Understanding Climate Change Impacts.” More
information on this important study appears in this
newsletter. Comments or questions about this study,
in addition to suggestions for possible participants
should be directed to nrc representative Dr. David
Feary (dfeary @ nas.edu). This study presents an exciting
opportunity to raise awareness of these issues with the
larger science community and key policy makers.
Mitch Lyle
Boise State University
mlyle @ cgiss.boisestate.edu
Isabel Moñtanez
University of California, Davis
montanez @ geology.ucdavis.edu
Walt Snyder
Boise State University
wsnyder @ boisestate.edu
Greetings
Steering Committe
Tim Lyons
University of California, Riverside
timothy.lyons @ ucr.edu
Please continue your own efforts to push the envelope
of our collective knowledge of Earth’s deeper-time
climate system, and to help build the GeoSystems
community. When you see a call for newsletter items,
please take the opportunity to make us all aware of
past or upcoming meetings or workshops, research
highlights, opportunities and the like.
Best Wishes,
Lynn Soreghan
April, 2007
The Importance of Deep-Time Geologic Records for
Understanding Climate Change Impacts
David Feary, nrc
The National Research Council has been asked by
the National Science Foundation and U.S. Geological
Survey to prepare a report that will assess the present
state of research on past climate states, describe the
priority research that should be undertaken to better
understand the factors controlling past climates,
and outline the research and data infrastructure that
will be required to carry out this priority research.
The intent is to concentrate on the times of climatic
transition in the geologic record. There is no predetermined focus on particular time periods – it will
be up to the committee to determine which periods
offer the best opportunities for understanding earth’s
climate system.
News
The study will commence on May 1 with a broad call
for nominations for the 10-person study committee.
The study, to address the statement of task listed
below, is expected to take approximately 18 months;
one of the meetings will be a 2-day open workshop.
Any suggestions for committee members should be
sent to David Feary at dfeary @ nas.edu, with a brief
description of the nominee’s area of expertise.
Statement of Task:
The geologic record contains physical, chemical, and
biological indicators of a range of past climate states.
As recent changes in atmospheric composition cause
earth’s climate to change, and amid suggestions that
future change may cause the earth to transition to a
climatic state that is dramatically different from that
of the recent past, there is an increasing focus on the
geologic record as a repository of critical information
for understanding the likely parameters and impacts
of future change. To further our understanding of
past climates, their signatures, and key environmental
forcing parameters and their impact on ecosystems, an
nrc study will:
•
•
•
Assess the present state of knowledge of
earth’s deep-time paleoclimate record, with
particular emphasis on the transition periods of
major paleoclimate change.
Describe opportunities for high-priority research,
with particular emphasis on collaborative
multidisciplinary activities.
Outline the research and data infrastructure that
will be required to accomplish the priority
research objectives.
The report should also include concepts and suggestions
for an effective education and outreach program.
Workshop on the Future of NSF’s ESH
(Earth System History) Program
Isabel Montañez
A recent workshop (March 2007) hosted by the
American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C.,
was convened as part of nsf’s effort to develop a science initiative that will advance our understanding
of Earth’s climate system. A group of 42 scientists
from a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines in the
ocean, atmospheric and earth sciences met to discuss
strategic scientific research directions that build on
the successes of the previous climate science initiative,
esh (Earth System History). It is important that the
contribution that research in deeper-time paleoclimatology can make toward better understanding our
climate system under rapidly evolving conditions be
articulated to nsf via representation in the workshop
report. You are strongly encouraged to contribute
your thoughts to this issue by sending them to Isabel
Montanez (montanez @ geology.ucdavis.edu), a member of the post-esh workshop steering committee.
The Paleointegration Project in GEON
(The Geosciences Network)
Allister Rees, University of Arizona
arees @ email.arizona.edu
Results are viewable on present-day maps, as well as
paleo- maps courtesy of Chris Scotese (http://www.
scotese.com/). Results can also be downloaded for
further detailed analyses.
Research Highlights
The Paleointegration Project (pip) within geon
(http://www.geongrid.org/) is facilitating
interoperability between global-scale fossil and
sedimentary rock databases, enabling a greater
understanding of the life, geography and climate of
our planet throughout the Phanerozoic.
Background: In the first phase of pip (reported in the
Spring 2006 GeoSystems newsletter), I developed five
interoperable databases of sedimentary rock types,
plants, and dinosaurs. These comprise some 175,000
occurrence records from 55,000 localities worldwide.
The Paleogeographic Atlas Project (pgap, University
of Chicago) compiled most of the sedimentary and
floral data (Permian through Cenozoic). Dinosaur data
were derived from “The Dinosauria” encyclopedia, in
collaboration with David Weishampel (Johns Hopkins
University). Judy Parrish (University of Idaho) provided
her dataset of Phanerozoic oil source rocks for integration within the system. The databases are text- as well
as map- searchable, through the use of age and geography ontologies I developed, linked to gis mapping tools.
Figure 1. The pip user interface, showing the search options on the left and
mapped results on the right. Smaller regions can be selected from the map. Other
search options include: specify ocean, continent or country; enter bounding
coordinates; select geologic age (era through stage); select various rock and/or
fossil types; search references. Other features include: view data on paleomaps;
view data tables (also downloadable as text files); print maps.
Figure 2. The same data from the example in Figure 1, plotted on a Middle
Jurassic paleomap.
The system was designed to ensure fast data
retrieval, making it especially useful for extensive
as well as multiple simultaneous searches (e.g. in
a classroom setting). This version was launched
on the UofA geongrid server (http://www.geo.
arizona.edu/~rees/) and subsequently embedded
into the geon portal. Although I’d developed age
and geography ontologies to enable seamless
interoperability, I was working with static “legacy”
databases on one server. Moreover, I’d precalculated
offline the paleocoordinates for all 55,000 localities in
the databases. More was needed to incorporate “live”
databases residing on different servers.
Current PIP Status:
Close collaboration with John Alroy (The
Paleobiology Database, pbdb - http://paleodb.org/)
and Chris Scotese has resulted in significantly more
data as well as tools, which are now available via the
geon portal (http://www.geongrid.org/). The pbdb is
well-known as an invaluable paleontological resource,
comprising some 630,000 fossil occurrence records
from 69,000 collections worldwide for the entire
Phanerozoic. Through the use of web services
(continued next page)
(continued from previous page)
developed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center
(sdsc), the pbdb server in Santa Barbara is now
searchable dynamically within pip, alongside the
existing databases. In addition to the pip features,
each pbdb locality record is linked back to the original
database, enabling the user to either explore and
analyze the data further within that system (e.g., using
the pbdb statistical tools), or to continue within the
pip interface.
Essential to this current pip effort was a means to
generate locality paleocoordinates “on the fly”, based
on modern latitude and longitude as well as locality
age. This has been accomplished through a module
(Auto Point Tracker - apt) developed and provided to
geon by Chris Scotese, enabling dynamic calculation
of locality paleocoordinates and automated plotting
on his paleogeographic maps.
The Paleointegration Project is already proving useful
to researchers, teachers and students. Anyone can
now access data and tools that were only available
previously to specialists. I envisage continuing to
develop this with the addition of new datasets,
tools and services. It’s more than a paleontology
and sedimentary geology project. A more complete
understanding of the interactions between Earth
and Life through time requires the addition of, for
instance, geochemical, geophysical, igneous and
metamorphic data.
The pip should also be a useful resource for
paleoclimate modelers, who can now retrieve the
appropriate proxy data within seconds. I should
emphasize that PIP doesn’t replace specialist expertise.
It does, however, provide another means whereby
researchers can develop their own scientific queries.
Research Highlights
In summary, the pip presently contains disparate
geologic databases residing on different servers,
embedded modules, web services, and gis – structures
and tools that should greatly facilitate collaborative
efforts within the broader geosciences community.
Figure 3. The architecture of pip, showing how different databases and components
interact to produce an integrated result and map. Researchers send a query for data
using the pip user interface. This query is parsed by the pip middleware. It is then
decomposed into several different queries sent to the databases using Java Databases
api for the ones hosted on sdsc servers and using Web Services for querying data
hosted at remote locations (e.g., the pbdb). Once all the results are accumulated, they
are passed to the Auto Point Tracker Web Service for “on the fly” calculations of
locality paleo coordinates so that they can be plotted on paleogeographic maps.
Climate Simulation of the Permian wins 2006
NCAR Outstanding Publication Award
Jeffrey T. Kiehl
Christine A. Shields
Climate Change Research Section
Climate and Global Dynamics Division
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Research Highlights
Climate models used to study Earth’s future climate can
also be used to study Earth’s past climates. If the model
simulations can successfully simulate past climates, then
use of these models for future climate projections in
strengthened. Simulating the climates of the geologic
past can also provide a means to study mechanisms of
climate change and climate sensitivity. Earth’s climate
has varied from Icehouse to Greenhouse conditions over
the past, and the ability to apply climate models to these
diverse conditions offers the opportunity to increase our
overall understanding of Earth’s climate system. Used in
conjunction with observational data, models also provide a
global perspective to Earth’s past climates.
One of the more intriguing time periods in Earth’s history
is the boundary between the Permian and Triassic periods
at 251 Ma. This boundary marks the largest extinction
recorded in Earth’s history, where across this boundary
approximately 95% of marine and terrestrial species were
lost. Associated with this event was an extended period
of magma activity and extended ocean anoxia. What
caused such a catastrophic change in life? A number of
hypotheses have been proposed to explain various aspects
of the extinction and climate of this time period. No one
hypothesis can explain all of the paleo information for this
period. Although a number of climate model simulations
have been carried out for this period no fully coupled
climate model simulation has existed for this time period.
Fully coupled climate models are required to accurately
simulate the ocean circulation, since using specified ocean
boundary conditions highly constrains the climate solution
and does not allow for a coupling of atmospheric and land
hydrological processes to the ocean, e.g. input of fresh
water to the ocean.
Kiehl and Shields (2005) carried out the first realistic fully
coupled climate simulation of this time period. This work
was recently awarded the National Center for Atmospheric
Research 2006 Outstanding Publication Award. The study
used paleogeography conditions and specified co2 levels (ten
times present co2 levels) for this time period in a version
of the Community Climate System Model ccsm3. This is a
fully coupled state of the art climate system model that was
used for the ipcc Fourth Assessment Report. The coupled
simulation was run for 2700 year, the longest continuous
simulation of ccsm3, to date. The length of the simulation
insures that the entire coupled system is in an equilibrium
state.
The above figure shows the annual mean surface
temperature (°C) from years 2600 to 2700. The western
tropical Panthalassic ocean has a warm pool of water with
ssts reaching 33°C, compared to the present day western
Pacific warm pool temperatures of 30°C. The warmest
regions over land occur in the subtropical desert regions.
(continued next page)
(continued from previous page)
Since the publication by Kiehl and Shields (2005), two
related studies have been carried out to explore the role
of atmospheric chemistry changes at this time including
enhanced methane levels (Lamarque et al. 2006) and the
effects of large emission of hydrogen sulfide on atmospheric
ozone (Lamarque et al. 2007, also see Kump et al., 2005).
These studies indicate that global warming and methane
release could have led to a catastrophic ozone reduction and
a large increase in surface uv-b radiation.
Evaporites
Coal
s
Research Highlights
One observational metric of the climate of this time period
comes from the geographic location of evaporite deposits
(e.g. Gibbs et al. 2002). These occur in shallow water regions
where the evaporation minus precipitation (e-p) is positive.
The above figure shows the annual mean e-p from the ccsm3
simulation, with the observed location of evaporite deposits
marked by red triangles. All but one of these observed
evaporite sites matches the model simulation of the region
of positive e-p.
An important observation of this time period is the
indication that global oceans were anoxic for an extended
period of time across the boundary. Low oxygen conditions
could explain the limited marine life at this time (Hotinski
et al. 2001). One hypothesis suggests that in a warm
greenhouse climate with an associated low pole to equator
thermal gradient, ocean mixing to depth would be limited
due to strong stratification. The ccsm3 simulation indicated
that ocean mixing between the surface and deeper levels
was very inefficient due to warm surface waters. This
condition would lead to low oxygen levels in the ocean, thus
supporting the hypothesis of global ocean anoxia. A parallel
Permian simulation with present levels of co2 produces
very efficient mixing in the ocean, unlike the high co2
Late Permian state. This result indicates that atmospheric
co2 concentration - not paleogeography - is the main
determinant of ocean mixing efficiency.
Model simulations of deep time provide a unique window
to past climates. Used in conjunction with geologic data
they enable us to build a more holistic picture of Earth
as a system. Presently, physical climate system models
are being coupled to atmospheric chemistry models,
ocean biogeochemistry models and dynamic vegetation
models thus expanding the ways climate models can aid in
answering key questions about Earth’s past climates.
References:
Gibbs, M.T., Rees, P.M., Kutzbach, J.E., Ziegler, A.M., Behling, P.J.,
and D.B. Rowley, 2002: Simulations of Permian climate
and comparisons with climate-sensitive sediments. J.
Geology, 110, 33-55.
Hotinski, R.M., Bice, K.L., Kump, L.R., Najar, R.G.,and M.A.
Arthur, 2001: Ocean stagnation and end-Permian anoxia.
Geology, 29, 7-10.
Kiehl, J.T. and C.A. Shields, 2005: Climate simulation of the latest
Permian: Implications for mass extinction. Geology, 33,
757- 760.
Kump, L.R., Pavlov, A., and M.A. Arthur, 2005: Massive release of
hydrogen sulfide to the surface ocean and atmosphere
during intervals of oceanic anoxia. Geology, 33, 397-400.
Lamarque, J.-F., Kiehl, J.T., Shields, C.A., Boville, B.A., and
D.E. Kinnison, Modleing the response to changes in
tropospheric methane concentration: Application to the
Permian-Triassic boundary. Paleoceanography, 21, PA3006,
doi:10.1029/2006PA001276.
Lamarque, J.-F., Kiehl, J.T., and J.J. Orlando, 2007: Role of hydrogen
sulfide in a Permian-Triassic boundary ozone collapse.
Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L02801, doi:10.1029/2006GL028384.
CO2 – Forced Climate and Vegetation Instability
During Late Paleozoic Deglaciation
Research Highlights
Isabel Montañez, University of California, Davis
Towards the close of the Paleozoic Era, the Earth
transitioned out of its most widespread and long-lived
icehouse of the last half billion years. The deterioration of the Late Paleozoic icehouse represents our
only vegetated Earth analogue of an icehouse-togreenhouse transition, and its consequent biotic
impacts. We (I.P. Montañez, N.J. Tabor, D. Niemeier,
W.A. DiMichele, T.D. Frank, C.R. Fielding, J.L. Isbell,
L.P. Birgenheier and M.C. Rygel) recently integrated
sedimentologic and isotopic proxies to estimate
paleoatmospheric pco2, global equatorial paleo-sea
surface temperatures, and terrestrial climatic conditions along western equatorial Euramerica during this
climate transition. Our results document substantially
changing atmospheric co2 levels and surface temperatures during the 40-million year period of latest
Carboniferous through early Middle Permian time
that encompassed the deterioration of this ice age.
Comparison of these results to newly emerging southern Gondwanan glacial records documents a strong
linkage between inferred shifts in paleoatmospheric pco2 , climate and ice volume that are consistent
with greenhouse-gas-forcing of climate. Notably, this
major climate transition from a glaciated world to a
full greenhouse did not unfold progressively but rather
was characterized by repeated shifts in atmospheric
pco2 from present-day values to levels of several 1000
ppmv – a pattern that foreshadowed the onset of
our current glacial state in the mid-Cenozoic. These
records further suggest that major climate transitions are associated with highly variable and unstable
climate behavior.
Integration of our paleoclimate proxy records with
newly developed tropical paleobotanical records from
the western U.S. reveals repeated restructuring of pa-
leotropical tree fern-rich flora in western Euramerica
that occurred in step with inferred climate and pco2
shifts. As atmospheric co2 levels rose and continental
climates became increasingly more seasonal and dry,
opportunistic floras such as conifers and callipterids
and other seed plants migrated into lowland regions.
Paleotropical peat-forming floras returned with each
shift back to cooler, wetter climates under lowered
pco2. These lowland flora, however, contained progressively more advanced lineages with each reoccurrence,
suggesting climate-driven evolutionary-scale changes.
Although this study of the final phase of the Late
Paleozoic Ice Age does not offer a directly applicable
analogue for our current climate situation, this deepertime perspective of pco2 -climate-glaciation linkages
may provide – as our climate system departs from
the well-studied Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles
- unique insight into what could become the Earth’s
most epic deglaciation. Recent ipcc projections of
atmospheric pco2 by the end of this century extend to
levels as high as 1000 to 1550 ppm, with other estimates
of up to 2000+ ppmv by the time we burn through
our fossil fuel reserves. As climate changes under such
atmospheric co2 conditions, tropical floral ecosystems
will likely suffer from rates of climate change that outpace their ability to migrate to distant refugia. This
research was reported in the Jan. 5, 2007 edition of the
journal Science, and reported on by the San Francisco
Chronicle, the L.A. Times, the Daily Telegraph, and El
Mundo among others.
Research Highlights
George Stanley
University of Montana
George Stanley, Director of Paleontology Center
at the University of Montana was among over 40
international scientists invited to attend a workshop
in Plymouth, uk (Feb 13-15) entitled “Modelling the
response of Marine Ecosystems to Increaseing Levels
of co2.” Stanley presented a talk on”The Evolution
of Hypercalcifying Organisms in the Geologic Past
and Their Response to Ocean Chemical Changes”
and a posted entitled “Carbon Dioxide and the
Evolution of Ancient Reef Ecosystems: Insight and
Paradox.” The workshop focused on the deleterious
effects that increased co2 is having on marine
ecosystems. The purpose of the gathering was to
bring together specialists in diverse fields to produce
recommendations for future modeling, observation
and experiments. The workshop provided insight
into the next 10-20 years of increased co2. Stanley
introduced the fossil record and explored deep time.
The geologic record provides important insights,
revealing mass extinctions and collapse of ancient
marine ecosystems associated with carbon dioxide
increases. For more information contact Professor
George Stanley, University of Montana Paleontology
Center, 32 Campus Road #1296, Missoula mt 59812.
International Congress on Carboniferous and
Permian
Nanjing, China June 21-24, 2007
www.iccp2007.cn Session on ‘Evolutionary Palaeogeography and
Palaeoclimatology; Pangea formation and breakup’
Organizer:
Rich Lane
We are seeking participants willing to present
a talk on Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and/or
Permian paleoclimatology or paleogeography and
their interplay. A series of talks that document
the progression of Earth systems through the
Carboniferous and Permian would be most welcome.
If you are interested and if you or a co-author will be
able to attend the meeting and present a paper, please
submit an abstract soon. Nanjing and China in general
is a very exciting city and country to visit these days
and there is an exciting array of field trips planned. Upcoming Meetings
If interested in participating, contact Rich Lane.
The second circular of the meeting can be found
at http://www.iccp2007.cn/admin/down/
upload/20070307155501.pdf .
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting
October 28-31, 2007, Denver, Colorado
Organizers:
Michael Pope, Washington State University,
Gerilyn Soreghan, University of Oklahoma,
Isabel Montañez, University of California, Davis
Late Paleozoic Glacial-Interglacial Climate Changes:
Analogs for Present and Future Climate Changes?
Over the past decade our view of Late Paleozoic
climate change has altered substantially as higherresolution records of glacial-interglacial climate shifts
become available. Where most of these transitions
were once considered to be long-term and gradual,
we now think many of these climate shifts were
very rapid. Concurrently, the well-documented
rise in Modern atmospheric co2 values to levels not
seen in the last 30-40 Ma suggests that geoscientists
trying to understand present and future climatic
fluctuations may need to look at other periods in
earth’s history for clues to decipher these changes.
The late Paleozoic is particularly apt in this regard,
because it records the last time the Earth veered from
icehouse to greenhouse conditions, potentially forced
by changes in atmospheric co2. We seek to assemble
a multi-disciplinary theme session that will provide a
forum for the sharing and possible integration of Late
Paleozoic climate change information and take a hard
look at what these data may signify about potential
present and future climatic fluctuations.
Abstract Deadline: July 10, 2007
Deep Time Climates: Their Relevance to Climate
Change and Value to Petroleum Exploration
(SEPM/AAPG)
Chairs:
Martin Perlmutter, Chevron, 1500 Louisiana,
Houston, TX, 77002, 832-854-6998, mperlmutter@
chevron.com
H. Rich Lane, Directorate for Geosciences, National
Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, (703) 2928551, hlane @ nsf.gov
John M. Armentrout, Cascade Stratigraphics, Inc.,
Clackamas, OR 97015, 503-658-8797, jarmenrock@ msn.
com.
Previous Meetings
Session Description:
The geologic record gives us the means to understand
natural climate variability, providing context and
perspective for present and future climate changes.
We examine climate change from the context of deep
time. What were the timescales of the change, how
widespread and persistent was the change, what did it
look like, and what caused it?
The following talks were presented:
1. Barron, E., University of Texas: Is It Time for a
Rebirth in The Geologic Application of Climate Models?
2. Sohl, L., whoi: Deep Time Paleoclimate Modeling
and Natural Resource Exploration: Status and Future
Challenges
3. Moore, T., PaleoTerra Inc.: Using Climate Model
Experiments of Orbital Cycles to Understand Stratigraphic
Variability
4. Soreghan, L., University of Oklahoma: Ice and HighMagnitude Climate Change in Equatorial Pangaea
5. Harris, J., Fugro-Robertson Ltd.: Palaeogeography
and Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Palaeo-Earth Systems
Modelling: Application for the Prediction of Reservoir
Facies in Frontier Basins
6. Kennedy, M., University of California, Riverside:
Methane Clathrate Destabilization in Equatorial Tidalites
During Deglaciation
7. Snyder, W., Boise State: Paleozoic-Mesozoic
Chronostratigraphic Framework for Deep-time Paleoclimate
Research
8. Algeo, T., University of Cincinnati: High-Frequency
Paleoclimate Variation: Analysis, Interpretation, and
Significance
9. Olsen, P., Lamont-Dougherty: Tempo and modes of
climate variability: perspectives from deep-time rift basins
10. Lane, H., NSF: Deep Time: A Frontier for Paleoclimate
Research
The following posters were presented:
1. Dubue-Botero, F., Chevron: Cyclic sedimentation from
the Cenomanian/Turonian of NE Mexico: its relationship
to Milankovitch and solar cycles
2. Nebrigic, D., University of Texas, Dallas: Storm
Events in Geological Record - a Lecture from 92 MYA
3. Fielding, C., University of Nebraska: Stratigraphic
Signatures of Icehouse Climate Regimes: The Permian
Record of Eastern Australia
4. Hasiotis, S., University of Kansas: Continental
Ichnofossils as Climate-Indicator Proxies in Deep Geologic
Time: Integrating Ichnology and paleopedology to Access
Changes in Paleohydrology and Paleoclimate
5. Snyder, W., Boise State: The Politics of Paleoclimate data
6. Sur, S., University of Oklahoma (Student),
Atmospheric dust archived in Pennsylvanian carbonates of
the Midland basin, west Texas 7. Le Guerroue, E., University of California, Riverside
(Student): Neoproterozoic carbon isotopes of the
Neoproterozoic Shuram and Wonoka Formations 8. Schroeder, E., University of Nebraska, (Student):
Mid-Maastrichtrian benthic foraminiferal isotope record
from Shatsky Rise, Northwest Pacific Ocean, evidence for a
change in oceanic circulation
9. Pope, M., Washington State: Global climate change
in the Paleozoic (Ordovician and Carboniferous-Permian):
Why it matters to the oil industry now, and in the future
GeoSystems:
Climate Lessons from Earth’s Last Climate
Great Icehouse
Held at the Annual Meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, February,
2007, San Francisco, ca
Session Organizers:
G.S. (Lynn) Soreghan, University of Oklahoma,
Norman, ok
Isabel P. Montañez, University of California, Davis, ca
Previous Meetings
Session Moderator & Discussant:
Lee Kump, Pennsylvania State University
Throughout its history, Earth has fluctuated
numerous times from major episodes of glaciation
(icehouse climates) into warmer ice-free conditions
(greenhouse climates) and vice-versa. Currently, Earth
is moving from the Pleistocene icehouse climate
toward possible future greenhouse conditions. This
is attributed to anthropogenic activities (fossil fuel
emissions, deforestation) causing the accumulation of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The icehousegreenhouse climate transition that preceded the
modern transition occurred 330 to 270 million years
ago during the Late Paleozoic-Gondwanan Ice Age
(lpgia). It is the only other ‘vegetated-Earth’ example
of climate change in an icehouse, making it the
nearest analogue to Earth’s current state. It is also the
only example of an icehouse-greenhouse transition
that records the impact of major climate change
on ecosystems of the land and seas.
The following talks were presented:
“Reconciling timing, duration and character of late
Paleozoic glaciations” by Chris Fielding (University
of Nebraska). The lpgia deposits of Australia and
Antarctica suggest that multiple ice centers were active
during discrete intervals, indicating long-term climatic
variation in this southern hemisphere icehouse. The
style of glaciation during the lpgia is the same as
the most recent one. Clearly, the lpgia represents
a deep-time laboratory that can lead to a better
understanding of modern climate instability.
“Sea level, sea temperatures, and glaciation: Lessons
from the mid-continent” by Timothy Lyons
(University of Riverside). New oxygen isotope
methods developed using biogenic apatite confirm
that the classic Carboniferous-era cycles of the
northern hemisphere that produced the widespread,
rich coal beds through sea level changes was driven
by waxing and waning southern hemisphere (lpgia)
glaciers.
“Ice, dust and climate in the late Paleozoic tropics”
by G.S. (Lynn) Soreghan (University of Oklahoma).
Emerging studies of the record of dust in the
paleotropics provide new insights into low-latitude
climate behavior during the lpgia icehouse, including
the possibility of high-magnitude climate change on
the glacial-interglacial scale.
“Climate dynamics of the late Paleozoic icehousegreenhouse transition” by Chris Poulsen (University
of Michigan). Development of an ocean-atmosphereice sheet model to investigate the influence
of Gondwanan glaciation on the Late Paleozoic
tropics indicates that the lpgia disrupted the Southern
Hemisphere monsoon system, causing large changes
in moisture transport to the tropics.
(continued next page)
(continued from previous page)
Section Head, Surface Earth Processes
“Unabating co2 and temperature increase during
Paleozoic global deglaciation” by Isabel Montanez
(University of California, Davis). Comparing the
glaciation history with estimated atmospheric pco2 and
tropical temperatures documents a robust co2-climateglaciation link with climate variability consistent with
greenhouse gas forcing. These paleoclimate and
co2 oscillations illustrate the magnitude of climate
instability associated with past co2-forced turnover to a
permanent ice-free world.
The Section Head Position for the Surface Earth
Processes Section is now advertised. The person
hired into this position will manage the Sedimentary
Geology and Paleobiology, Geobiology and Low
Temperature Geochemistry, Geomorphology and
Land Use Dynamics, Hydrological Sciences, and
Education and human Resources programs in the
Earth Sciences Division here at nsf. Do not be mislead
by the description of the Earth Science Division given
below — EAR also includes the biological aspects of the
the solid earth Geosciences!! I encourage all of you to
consider applying for this position, or encourage other
qualified candidates to apply. Note that applications
from Non-citizens will be considered under certain
restrictions. For more information, please go to http://jobsearch.
usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=53109272&AVSDM
=2007%2D01%2D30+00%3A00%3A46&TabNum=2&
rc=2
Rich Lane
Salary Range: 111,676.00 - 154,600.00 usd per year
Open Period: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 to Friday,
May 31, 2007
Series and Grade: es-1301
Position Information: Full-Time Temporary position
not to exceed 3 Years
Duty Locations: 1 vacancy - va - Alexandria, Arlington
& Falls Church, all
Opportunities
Previous Meetings
“Vegetation tracks climate change during the late
Paleozoic icehouse collapse” by William DiMichele
(Smithsonian Institute). The change from a cool- to
a warm-Earth during the late Paleozoic involved
widespread changes in terrestrial climate that
were strongly mirrored by changing vegetational
patterns. Multiple biomes coexisted in the western
and central equatorial regions beginning in the Early
Carboniferous, but the later Carboniferous was
characterized by lowland biomes typical of only the
wettest climatic conditions. Wet floras persisted in the
east well into the Permian.
Who May Be Considered:
Applications will be accepted from us Citizens and
Non-Citizens as allowed by appropriations and statute.
(continued next page)
(continued from previous page)
Job Summary:
What do camcorders, magnetic resonance imaging
(mri), Doppler radar, and the Internet have in
common? Beyond enriching people’s lives, these
innovations are the result of public investments in
science and engineering made by the nsf.
The Division of Earth Sciences supports proposals for
research geared toward improving the understanding
of the structure, composition, and evolution of the
Earth and the processes that govern the formation
and behavior of the Earth’s materials. The results
of this research will create a better understanding
of the Earth’s changing environments, and the
natural distribution of its mineral, water, and energy
resources and provide methods for predicting and
mitigating the effects of geologic hazards such as
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and landslides.
Opportunities
Position will be filled on a one to three year Senior
Executive Service (ses Limited Term appointment
or on an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (ipa)
assignment basis).
Senior Executive Service (SES) Limited Term Appointment The Senior Executive Service (ses) covers managerial
positions above gs-15 in the Federal Service. The
Federal pay range for Senior Executive Service
positions is $111,676 to $154,600. Persons appointed to
the ses are eligible for health benefits, life insurance,
social security, Federal retirement and thrift savings
plan coverage, and participate in the Federal leave
system. Competitive status is not required, veteran’s
preference does not apply and there are no grade
restrictions. Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Assignment Individuals eligible for an ipa assignment with a
Federal agency include employees of State and
local government agencies or institutions of higher
education, Indian tribal governments, and other
eligible organizations in instances where such
assignments would be of mutual benefit to the
organizations involved. Initial assignments under
ipa may be made for a period of up to two years. The individual remains an employee of the home
institution and cost-sharing arrangements are
generally negotiated between nsf and the home
institution.