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Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period

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Mid-Pliocene reconstructed annual sea surface temperature anomaly
δ18O Benthic foraminifera 0–7 Ma

The Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (mPWP) (prior to 2009 known as the Middle Pliocene Warm Period ), or the Pliocene Thermal Maximum, was an interval of warm climate during the Pliocene epoch that lasted from 3.3 to 3.0 million years ago (Ma).[1]

Climate

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The global average temperature in the mid-Pliocene was 2–3 °C higher than today,[2] global sea level 25 meters higher,[3] and the Northern Hemisphere ice sheet was ephemeral before the onset of extensive glaciation over Greenland that occurred in the late Pliocene around 3 Ma.[4] Near-surface permafrost extent was substantially lower relative to the present.[5] Global precipitation was marginally increased by 0.09 mm/yr according to CCSM4 simulations.[6] Annual Northern Hemisphere Hadley circulation was weakened, but annual Southern Hemisphere Hadley circulation was enhanced.[7] As during the Quaternary glaciation, glacial-interglacial cycles existed during the mPWP and it was not a uniform and stable climatic interval.[8]

Polar amplification during the mPWP was considerable.[9] The mean annual temperature (MAT) of eastern interior Alaska was about 7-9 °C higher than its present day MAT of -6.4 °C.[10] Palynological evidence from the Yermak Plateau in the Arctic Ocean shows that the thermophilic and moist boreal Tsuga-Thuja-Cupressaceae-Betula-Ilex community became dominant in the Arctic during the mPWP.[11] At the lagerstatte of Camp del Ninots in northeastern Spain, a MAT of 14.3 ± 2.6°C and a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 846.8 ± 165.4 mm prevailed.[12] The East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) strengthened during the mPWP.[13] The influence of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) did not extend as far into the interior of East Asia as it does today, causing a much drier climate to occur in the Chinese Loess Plateau relative to the present day.[14] In the Nihewan Basin, a stable and warm climate predominated from 3.58 Ma to 3.31 Ma. From 3.31 Ma to 3.10 Ma, the warmth continued but with greater instability, with three major cool events occurring during this interval. After 3.10 Ma, the region's climate cooled significantly.[15] In the Qaidam Basin, annual precipitation was about ten times higher than in the present,[16] and it varied in 20-kyr precessional cycles and was likely related to the fluctuation of the EASM in response to Antarctic ice sheet dynamics and insolation forcing.[17] The Kuroshio Current Extension (KCE) shifted northwards.[18] The South Asian Summer Monsoon (SASM) became strengthened on both a zonal and meridional level.[19] In southern Africa, summer and winter precipitation zones shifted poleward by ∼1°, while precipitation was reduced by about 0.5 mm/day.[20] The coast of Ecuador became drier.[21] Subtropical South Africa became dominated by fynbos and Afrotemperate forest vegetation.[22]

Carbon dioxide concentration during the Middle Pliocene has been estimated at around 400 ppmv from 13C/12C ratio in organic marine matter[23] and stomatal density of fossilised leaves,[24] although lower estimates of between 330 and 394 ppm over the course of the whole mPWP and 391 ppm in the KM5c interglacial, during the warmest phase of the mPWP, have been given.[25]

Mid-Pliocene reconstructed terrain and ice sheet elevation

Comparison with present global warming

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Pliocene biomes.

The mPWP is considered a potential analogue of future climate.[26][27][28] The intensity of the sunlight reaching the Earth, the global geography, and carbon dioxide concentrations were similar to present. Furthermore, many mid-Pliocene species are extant, helping calibrate paleotemperature proxies. Model simulations of mid-Pliocene climate produce warmer conditions at middle and high latitudes, as much as 10–20 °C warmer than today above 70°N. They also indicate little temperature variation in the tropics. Model-based biomes are generally consistent with Pliocene palaeobotanical data indicating a northward shift of the tundra and taiga and an expansion of savanna and warm-temperate forest in Africa and Australia.[29] The increased intensity of tropical cyclones during the mPWP has been cited as evidence that intensification of such storms will occur as anthropogenic global warming continues.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Scotese, Christopher R.; Song, Haijun; Mills, Benjamin J. W.; van der Meer, Douwe G. (1 April 2021). "Phanerozoic paleotemperatures: The earth's changing climate during the last 540 million years". Earth-Science Reviews. 215: 103503. Bibcode:2021ESRv..21503503S. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103503. Retrieved 13 September 2023 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  2. ^ Robinson, M.; Dowsett, H. J.; Chandler, M. A. (2008). "Pliocene role in assessing future climate impacts" (PDF). Eos. 89 (49): 501–502. Bibcode:2008EOSTr..89..501R. doi:10.1029/2008EO490001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-22.
  3. ^ Dwyer, G. S.; Chandler, M. A. (2009). "Mid-Pliocene sea level and continental ice volume based on coupled benthic Mg/Ca palaeotemperatures and oxygen isotopes" (PDF). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 367 (1886): 157–168. Bibcode:2009RSPTA.367..157D. doi:10.1098/rsta.2008.0222. hdl:10161/6586. PMID 18854304. S2CID 3199617. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-21.
  4. ^ Bartoli, G.; et al. (2005). "Final closure of Panama and the onset of northern hemisphere glaciation". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 237 (1–2): 33–44. Bibcode:2005E&PSL.237...33B. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2005.06.020.
  5. ^ Guo, Donglin; Wang, Huijun; Romanovsky, Vladimir E.; Haywood, Alan M.; Pepin, Nick; Salzmann, Ulrich; Sun, Jianqi; Yan, Qing; Zhang, Zhongshi; Li, Xiangyu; Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.; Feng, Ran; Lohmann, Gerrit; Stepanek, Christian; Abe-Ouchi, Ayako; Chan, Wing-Le; Peltier, W. Richard; Chandan, Deepak; Von der Heydt, Anna S.; Contoux, Camille; Chandler, Mark A.; Tan, Ning; Zhang, Qiong; Hunter, Stephen J.; Kamae, Youichi (28 August 2023). "Highly restricted near-surface permafrost extent during the mid-Pliocene warm period". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 120 (36). doi:10.1073/pnas.2301954120. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 10483645. PMID 37639595.
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  8. ^ Prescott, Caroline L.; Haywood, Alan M.; Dolan, Aisling M.; Hunter, Stephen J.; Pope, James O.; Pickering, Steven J. (15 August 2014). "Assessing orbitally-forced interglacial climate variability during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 400: 261–271. Bibcode:2014E&PSL.400..261P. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.05.030. Retrieved 26 April 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
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  13. ^ Süfke, Finn; Kaboth-Bahr, Stefanie; Wei, Kuo-Yen; Chuang, Chih-Kai; Gutjahr, Marcus; Pross, Jörg; Friedrich, Oliver (15 September 2022). "Intensification of Asian dust storms during the Mid-Pliocene Warm Period (3.25–2.96 Ma) documented in a sediment core from the South China Sea". Quaternary Science Reviews. 292: 107669. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107669. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  14. ^ Wang, Baiyu; Jia, Jia; Fan, Yijiao; Wang, Qiang; Chen, Qu (20 May 2024). "Weak East Asian summer monsoon during the high atmospheric CO2 middle Pliocene period: Evidenced by red clay record on the Chinese Loess Plateau". Quaternary International. 692: 21–27. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2024.03.007. Retrieved 23 October 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  15. ^ Liu, Chaofei; Zhang, Zhen; Li, Yuecong; Wang, Yong; Dong, Jin; Chi, Zhenqing; Cao, Yihang; Zhang, Lei (1 September 2023). "Geochemical characterization evidence for the climate variability of the Mid-Pliocene warm period in the Nihewan Basin, North China". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 625: 111668. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111668. Retrieved 23 October 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  16. ^ Schwarz, Florian; Salzmann, Ulrich; Koutsodendris, Andreas; Nie, Junsheng; Friedrich, Oliver; Ni, Jian; Garzione, Carmala; Fang, Xiaomin; Wu, Fuli; Woodward, John; Appel, Erwin; Pross, Jörg (January 2022). "Controls of precipitation and vegetation variability on the NE Tibetan Plateau during the late Pliocene warmth (~3.5–3.0 Ma)". Global and Planetary Change. 208: 103707. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103707. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  17. ^ Luo, Zeng; Wang, Hansheng; Heermance, Richard V.; Nie, Junsheng; Yang, Jing; Yu, Xiaoli; Wang, Zhao; Zhang, Rui; Su, Qingda (15 August 2024). "June insolation gradient and ice sheet forcing on Qaidam precipitation during the middle Piacenzian warm period". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 648: 112277. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112277. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  18. ^ Lam, Adriane R.; Leckie, R. Mark (2020). "Late Neogene and Quaternary diversity and taxonomy of subtropical to temperate planktic foraminifera across the Kuroshio Current Extension, northwest Pacific Ocean". Micropaleontology. 66 (3): 177–268. doi:10.47894/mpal.66.3.01. ISSN 0026-2803. JSTOR 27143634. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via JSTOR.
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  20. ^ Roffe, Sarah J.; Engelbrecht, Francois A.; Bamford, Marion K. (15 October 2024). "Southern African precipitation changes in a warmer world: insights from the PlioMIP2 mid-Pliocene Warm Period (∼3.3–3.0 Ma) ensemble". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa: 1–21. doi:10.1080/0035919X.2024.2410945. ISSN 0035-919X. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
  21. ^ Grimmer, Friederike; Dupont, Lydie M.; Jung, Gerlinde; Wefer, Gerold (16 October 2020). "Piacenzian Environmental Change and the Onset of Cool and Dry Conditions in Tropical South America". Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. 35 (11). doi:10.1029/2020PA004060. ISSN 2572-4517. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  22. ^ Zhao, Xueqin; Koutsodendris, Andreas; Caley, Thibaut; Dupont, Lydie (1 December 2020). "Hydroclimate change in subtropical South Africa during the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period". Quaternary Science Reviews. 249: 106643. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106643. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  23. ^ Raymo, M. E.; Grant, B.; Horowitz, M.; Rau, G. H. (1996). "Mid-Pliocene warmth: Stronger greenhouse and stronger conveyor". Marine Micropaleontology. 27 (1–4): 313–326. Bibcode:1996MarMP..27..313R. doi:10.1016/0377-8398(95)00048-8.
  24. ^ Kurschner, W. M.; van der Burgh, J.; Visscher, H.; Dilcher, D. L. (1996). "Oak leaves as biosensors of late Neogene and early Pleistocene paleoatmospheric CO2 concentration". Marine Micropaleontology. 27 (1–4): 299–312. Bibcode:1996MarMP..27..299K. doi:10.1016/0377-8398(95)00067-4.
  25. ^ De la Vega, Elwyn; Chalk, Thomas B.; Wilson, Paul A.; Bysani, Ratna Priya; Foster, Gavin L. (9 July 2020). "Atmospheric CO2 during the Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period and the M2 glaciation". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 11002. Bibcode:2020NatSR..1011002D. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67154-8. PMC 7347535. PMID 32647351.
  26. ^ Burke, K. D.; Williams, J. W.; Chandler, M. A.; Haywood, A. M.; Lunt, D. J.; Otto-Bliesner, B. L. (26 December 2018). "Pliocene and Eocene provide best analogs for near-future climates". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 115 (52): 13288–13293. Bibcode:2018PNAS..11513288B. doi:10.1073/pnas.1809600115. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6310841. PMID 30530685.
  27. ^ Haywood, Alan M.; Dowsett, Harry J.; Dolan, Aisling M. (16 February 2016). "Integrating geological archives and climate models for the mid-Pliocene warm period". Nature Communications. 7 (1): 10646. Bibcode:2016NatCo...710646H. doi:10.1038/ncomms10646. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 4757764. PMID 26879640.
  28. ^ Blasco, Javier; Tabone, Ilaria; Moreno-Parada, Daniel; Robinson, Alexander; Alvarez-Solas, Jorge; Pattyn, Frank; Montoya, Marisa (6 September 2024). "Antarctic tipping points triggered by the mid-Pliocene warm climate". Climate of the Past. 20 (9): 1919–1938. doi:10.5194/cp-20-1919-2024. ISSN 1814-9332. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  29. ^ Salzmann, U.; Haywood, A. M.; Lunt, D. J. (2009). "The past is a guide to the future? Comparing Middle Pliocene vegetation with predicted biome distributions for the twenty-first century". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 367 (1886): 189–204. Bibcode:2009RSPTA.367..189S. doi:10.1098/rsta.2008.0200. PMID 18854302. S2CID 20422374.
  30. ^ Yan, Qing; Wei, Ting; Korty, Robert L.; Kossin, James P.; Zhang, Zhongshi; Wang, Huijun (15 November 2016). "Enhanced intensity of global tropical cyclones during the mid-Pliocene warm period". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113 (46): 12963–12967. Bibcode:2016PNAS..11312963Y. doi:10.1073/pnas.1608950113. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 27799528.