Abstract:
Samples of early Tertiary age fossil wood and leaves were collected from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, in 2001. Fossils from Palaeogene strata were studied to determine the nature of vegetation response to the fundamental change from greenhouse to icehouse climates in Antarctica. Palaeoclimate data was derived using CLAMP (Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program) and several Leaf Margin Analysis (LMA) techniques based on the physiognomic properties of the leaves. Climate interpretation of the fossils produced new data on terrestrial climate change at high latitudes and were used to test and validate climate models, and to establish whether climate-induced changes in biodiversity occurred in a gradual or punctuated manner.
Keywords:
Palaeocene, Tertiary floras, biodiversity change, forest diversity, former greenhouse climate, plant fossils, terrestrial climate change
| Access Constraints: | Requests for data can be made via the UK Polar Data Centre (UK PDC) at BAS. |
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| Use Constraints: | Data released under Open Government Licence V3.0: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ |
| Creation Date: | 2008-01-22 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Complete |
| Dataset Language: | English |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK PDC |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Professor Jane Francis |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
| Reference: | David J. Cantrill, Anne-Marie P. Tosolini & Jane E. Francis (2011): Paleocene flora from Seymour Island, Antarctica: revision of Duséén's (1908) pteridophyte and conifer taxa, Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 35:2, 309-328. Howells, S.; Francis, J. 2004. Mankind versus Planet Earth - climate change article, Be Unlimited, Issue 3, 2004. Francis, J.E.; Tosolini A.P.; Cantrill D.J., Antarctic Palaeogene floras: biodiversity and climate change International Organisation or Palaeobotany; Argentina, Book of abstracts, pp.52, 2004. Francis, J. E.; Tosolini, A.; Cantrill, D.J. Biodiversity and climate change in Antarctic Palaeogene floras. Antarctic Earth Sciences Symposium. Conference abstract, 2003. Francis, J.; Askin, R.; Tosolini, A.; Cantrill, D.; Raine, I. Antarctic Vegetation and Climate through the Cenozoic. EGS/AGU/EUG Joint Assembly, Nice, Conference abstracts, 2003. Francis, J.E.; Tosolini A.P.; Cantrill D.J., AFI workshop: Biodiversity response to climate change in Palaeogene floras of Antarctica Antarctic Funding Initiative Workshop, Cambridge, 2002. Francis, J.E.; Tosolini, A.P.; Cantrill, D.J., Climate change in Antarctica during the late Cretaceous 8th International Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems, Cape Town, South Africa, 2002. Francis, J.E.; Tosolini, A.P.; Cantrill, D.J., Biodiversity response to climate change in Palaeogene floras of Antarctica 6th European Palaeobotany-Palynology Conference, Athens, Greece, 2002. Cantrill, D.J.; Francis, J.E.; Tosolini, A.P., Response of floristic diversity to environmental change during the Tertiary: an example from Seymour Island, Antarctica First International Palaeontological Congress, Sydney, Geological Society of Australia Abstracts, 68, pp.28, 2002. Tosolini, A.P.; Francis, J.E.; Cantrill, D.J., Antarctic palaeoclimates from Palaeogene floras Gondwana 11, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2002. Francis J.E. 1991. Palaeoclimatic significance of Cretaceous-early Tertiary fossil forests of the Antarctic Peninsula. (In Thomson, M.R.A., Crame, J.A. & Thomson, J.W., eds. Geological evolution of Antarctica. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 623-627.) p. 625; fig. 2.e,2.f Project: AFI 01/01 - Biodiversity response to climate change: biodiversity and climate significance of Tertiary forest communities of Antarctica |
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| Lineage: | ||
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 2000-08-14 |
| End Date | 2003-02-13 |
| Paleo Temporal Coverage: | |
| Paleo Start Date | N/A |
| Paleo End Date | N/A |
| Chronostratigraphic Unit | TERTIARY |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -64.283 |
| Northernmost | -64.283 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -56.75 |
| Easternmost | -56.75 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Seymour Island |
| Distribution: | |
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| Distribution Media | Online FTP |
| Distribution Size | N/A |
| Distribution Format | N/A |
| Fees | See Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Data Policy |
| Data Storage: | These data are managed by the UK Polar Data Centre (UK PDC) Geological Data Manager at BAS and held on the BAS Storage Area Network (SAN). |