Cold low-latitude Ordovician paleotemperatures may be in hot water

Grossman E, Barney BB, Sun Z, Henkes GA, Gao Y, Joachimski M (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America National Academy of Sciences

Book Volume: 122

Issue: 11

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2424291122

Abstract

Seawater’s oxygen-isotope (18O/16O) evolution is fundamental to oxygen-isotope (δ18O) paleothermometry and thus to understanding Earth’s climate, habitability, and biological evolution. Thiagarajan et al. (1) seawater δ18O in the Early Phanerozoic based on model-adjusted clumped and oxygen isotope analyses of fossils and especially fine-grained carbonate sediments. We are concerned, however, with the choice of fine-grained carbonate sediments as clumped and oxygen isotope archives, the assumption of closed-system diagenesis in the studied geologic units, and the geologically untenable cold paleotemperatures obtained. In addition, we believe that the paper is mistitled in that the reconstruction of Phanerozoic climate appears only in supplement.

Authors with CRIS profile

Michael Joachimski Lehrstuhl für Geologie (Exogene Dynamik)

Involved external institutions

Stony Brook University (SBU) / SUNY Stony Brook US United States (USA) (US) Texas A&M University US United States (USA) (US) Texas A&M University System US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Grossman, E., Barney, B.B., Sun, Z., Henkes, G.A., Gao, Y., & Joachimski, M. (2025). Cold low-latitude Ordovician paleotemperatures may be in hot water. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2424291122

MLA:

Grossman, Ethan, et al. "Cold low-latitude Ordovician paleotemperatures may be in hot water." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 122 (2025).

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