Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Menglin Wang, Simon Hellemans, Ales Bucek, Taisuke Kanao, Jigyasa Arora, Crystal Clitheroe, Jean-Jacques Rafanomezantsoa, Brian L. Fisher, Rudolf Scheffrahn, David Sillam-Dusses, Yves Roisin, Jan Sobotnik, Thomas Bourguignon
Summary: Madagascar, due to its isolation, is home to unique plant and animal species, including various lineages of termites. This study used mitochondrial genomes to explore the historical biogeography of Neoisoptera, a termite lineage. The results suggest that Neoisoptera colonized Madagascar between 7 and 10 times independently during the Miocene, similar to its colonization of Australia.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kosuke T. Goto, Maria Luisa G. Tejada, Eiichi Tajika, Katsuhiko Suzuki
Summary: Global carbon cycle simulations based on seawater osmium isotope data from Pacific Ocean sediments suggest that the Miocene climatic optimum may have been triggered by an increase in magmatism during the same period. This warming event was accompanied by a positive stable carbon isotope excursion. Osmium isotope data analysis reveals a negative excursion between 17 and 15.8 million years ago, indicating enhanced magmatism during that time, which could have led to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the positive stable carbon isotope excursion observed.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Alexander J. J. Krause, Appy Sluijs, Robin van der Ploeg, Timothy M. Lenton, Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
Summary: The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum was a 400,000-year-long global warming phase with increased CO2 concentrations and deep-ocean acidification. The prolonged duration contradicts the expected negative feedback from temperature-dependent silicate weathering. By measuring lithium isotope ratios, researchers found a positive excursion indicating a shift from congruent to incongruent weathering. Continental volcanism and clay formation played crucial roles in initiating and sustaining the warming event, suggesting the importance of clay mineral dynamics in the carbon cycle for intermediate timescales.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. Steinthorsdottir, P. E. Jardine, W. C. Rember
Summary: Analyzing proxy data from past climate change episodes can provide a better understanding of the relationship between global temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Research shows that during the Miocene climatic optimum, climate sensitivity was heightened, indicating that significantly elevated temperatures can occur even at relatively moderate levels of CO2.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nela Dolakova, Marianna Kovacova, Torsten Utescher
Summary: The study of pollen spectra in the northwestern part of the Central Paratethys domain during the regional stages Karpatian-Badenian provides insight into the evolution of landscape and climatic changes, as well as the impact on the biosphere. The research reveals evidence of the Miocene climatic optimum and transition, as well as changes in plant diversity and climate conditions during the studied periods.
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Biology
Josep Sanjuan, Damia Matamoros, Isaac Casanovas-Vilar, Alba Vicente, Josep Anton Moreno-Bedmar, Jonathan Holmes, Carles Martin-Closas
Summary: This article describes, for the first time, a diverse charophyte assemblage from the Valles-Penedes and Vilanova basins in NE Spain during the Middle Miocene. The discovery of these aquatic plants provides insights into the paleoenvironmental conditions in the region during that time period.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Peter Fischer, Olaf Joeris, Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons, Mathias Vinnepand, Charlotte Prud'homme, Philipp Schulte, Christine Hatte, Ulrich Hambach, Susanne Lindauer, Christian Zeeden, Zoran Peric, Frank Lehmkuhl, Tina Wunderlich, Dennis Wilken, Wolfgang Schirmer, Andreas Voett
Summary: Loess-Palaeosol-Sequences (LPS) in the Central European region provide valuable terrestrial archives of past climate and environment. This study focuses on the Schwalbenberg LPS, offering a comprehensive multiproxy dataset for understanding its formation processes and relationship to climatic influences during the Upper Pleistocene. By utilizing a transect approach and integrating sedimentological and geochemical proxy data, the researchers were able to quantify different formation phases and establish robust correlations with other climate archives, highlighting the sensitivity of western European LPS to Atlantic-driven climate oscillations.
Article
Geography, Physical
Manuel Casas-Gallego, Jose Ma Postigo-Mijarra, Ma Rosario Rivas-Carballo, Maria F. Valle-Hernandez, Jorge Morin-de Pablos, Eduardo Barron
Summary: The study presents a new palaeobotanical and palaeoclimatic record from the Madrid Basin during the Middle Miocene period, indicating the existence of open grassland habitats under warm and semi-arid climatic conditions. The data suggest that the onset of grass-dominated habitats was influenced by increased cooling and aridity throughout the Miocene, leading to changes in landscape and vegetation composition. The taxonomic diversity of plant species in the region contributes to a better understanding of the floristic composition of early open habitats dominated by grasses, suggesting an earlier establishment of open habitats in the Iberian Peninsula compared to eastern Europe.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Robin Havas, Jairo F. Savian, Vincent Busigny
Summary: This study investigates the potential of Fe isotopes as a biosignature in magnetofossils in a sedimentary sequence from the Indian Ocean recording the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum. The Fe isotope compositions of oxides outside the magnetofossil-rich interval are interpreted as reflecting dominantly hydrothermal contribution. The study provides important constraints on paleoclimate and magnetofossil biogenicity evaluation.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Yuliia V. Vernyhorova, Katarina Holcova, Nela Dolakova, Bettina Reichenbacher, Filip Scheiner, Lukas Ackerman, Jan Rejsek, Lorenzo De Bortoli, Jakub Trubac, Torsten Utescher
Summary: The Miocene Climate Optimum and Climate Transition have significant implications for the biotic, environmental, and geologic events in the Black-Caspian Sea region. The study area showed open shelf conditions, variable water column stratification, and changing vegetation from humid to arid conditions. The Eastern Paratethys experienced climate change slightly earlier than the Central Paratethys, possibly due to the presence of the flat Eurasian continent.
MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hanjing Fu, Xing Jian, Hanghai Liang, Wei Zhang, Xiaotian Shen, Ling Wang
Summary: The chemical weathering of continental silicates plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's long-term climate and global carbon cycle. The study in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau since the middle Miocene reveals a close interaction between weathering processes, climate, and tectonics. The sediment provenance and paleo-chemical weathering history in the region have remained relatively stable since the middle Miocene, with changes in weathering intensity influenced by both climate shifts and tectonic activity. Uplift-induced physical denudation and regional aridity have contributed to a transition in the chemical weathering regime, highlighting the complex relationship between weathering intensity, climate, and tectonics in arid, tectonically-active regions.
Article
Geology
Daianne Hofig, Yi Ge Zhang, Liviu Giosan, Qin Leng, Jiaqi Liang, Mengxiao Wu, Brent Miller, Hong Yang
Summary: This study provides detailed geological and paleoclimatological analysis of the Miocene Clarkia paleolake in northern Idaho, USA. They found that the deposition of the lake occurred approximately 15.78 million years ago, spanning around 840 years, coinciding with the end of the main phase of eruptions from the Columbia River Basalt Group during the Miocene Climate Optimum.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Margot J. Cramwinckel, Robin van der Ploeg, Niels A. G. M. van Helmond, Niels Waarlo, Claudia Agnini, Peter K. Bijl, Annique van der Boon, Henk Brinkhuis, Joost Frieling, Wout Krijgsman, Tamsin A. Mather, Jack J. Middelburg, Francien Peterse, Caroline P. Slomp, Appy Sluijs
Summary: This study evaluates the sedimentary and geochemical expression of the mid-Eocene climatic optimum in the northern Peri-Tethys region. The findings suggest a regional decoupling between ocean warming and deoxygenation, highlighting the role of regional tectonics in causing basin restriction and anoxia. The study also emphasizes the importance of the interplay between global climate and regional oceanic gateway evolution in determining local climate and oceanographic change.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Margot J. Cramwinckel, Robin van der Ploeg, Niels A. G. M. van Helmond, Niels Waarlo, Claudia Agnini, Peter K. Bijl, Annique van der Boon, Henk Brinkhuis, Joost Frieling, Wout Krijgsman, Tamsin A. Mather, Jack J. Middelburg, Francien Peterse, Caroline P. Slomp, Appy Sluijs
Summary: This study investigates the climate change mechanisms and factors influencing the middle Eocene climatic optimum through the assessment of sedimentary and geochemical data in the northern Peri-Tethys region. The results suggest that the significant organic carbon burial in the Kuma Formation played a quantitative role in the termination of the middle Eocene climatic optimum. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of the interplay between global climate and regional oceanic evolution.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Davor Pavelic, Marijan Kovacic, Darko Tibljas, Ivo Galic, Frane Markovic, Ivica Pavicic
Summary: This passage describes the evolution of a lake characterized by dolomite deposition in the North Croatian Basin, influenced by different stages and climates. The lake environment transitioned from hydrologically closed to open, reflecting changes in humid and arid climates. The depositional sequence of the lake coincides with the Miocene Climatic Optimum, featuring hot and humid climates.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
M. Soledad Domingo, David Martin-Perea, Laura Domingo, Enrique Cantero, Juan L. Cantalapiedra, Blanca A. Garcia Yelo, Ana Rosa Gomez Cano, Gema M. Alcalde, Omid Fesharaki, Manuel Hernandez Fernandez
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
David Martin-Perea, Omid Fesharaki, M. Soledad Domingo, Sara Gamboa, Manuel Hernandez Fernandez
Article
Geography, Physical
David M. Martin-Perea, Omid Fesharaki, Jesus Javier Rey Samper, Xabier Arroyo, David Uribelarrea, Lucia Cobo-Sanchez, Enrique Baquedano, Audax Mabulla, Manuel Dominguez-Rodrigo
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2019)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Omid Fesharaki, Amelia Calonge, Maria Dolores Lopez Carrillo
Article
Chemistry, Physical
O. Fesharaki, E. Garcia-Romero, J. Cuevas-Gonzalez, N. Lopez-Martinez
