A model-based evaluation of tropical climate in Pangaea during the late Palaeozoic icehouse

Injecting Climate Modeling into Deep Time Studies: Ideas for Nearly Every Project

“…Three of the Heavens et al (2015) simulations, which span low pCO 2 icehouse climates similar to today as well as high pCO 2 greenhouse climate conditions, are broadly consistent with peat deposition at tropical coal occurrences (Figure 3). Most of the exceptions are in southern tropical Pangaea, where all simulations overestimate climate seasonality/ evaporation and the icehouse simulations are overly dry (Figure 3).…”

“…As a concrete illustration, I use coal occurrence during the Asselian (295.0-298.9 Ma) to test climate simulations by Heavens et al (2015) that are focused on tropical climate dynamics during this time. The test is whether precipitation and evaporative balance in the simulations at the location of coal occurrence is consistent with the conditions under which peat deposition is thought to be possible (Patzkowsky et al, 1991;Cecil et al, 2003).…”

“…For the experiment described above, I relied on direct inspection of the source maps for the paleogeographic model of Heavens et al (2015) to match the modern location of the facies with its location in the simulations. This is not a scientifically reproducible technique.…”

“…First, deep time climate studies relevant to present day climate could open new funding opportunities for the academic sedimentary geology and paleobiology community, which has significantly contracted in recent years in the U.S. (Parrish et al, 2011). Second, many GCMs do not just model the atmosphere but consider the ocean, the land surface, and the cryosphere in their abiotic and (increasingly) biotic characteristics (see Heavens et al, 2013 for an overview). These new capabilities may allow more direct simulation of some aspects of the geological record.…”

Coal-derived rates of atmospheric dust deposition during the Permian

“…These simulations were run to approximate energetic balance between the ocean and atmosphere under a uniform aerosol forcing. These simulations and the range of climates within them are fully described by Heavens et al (Heavens et al, 2015). This study focuses on two of these simulations:…”