On Feb 24, 6:58 am, Tom Adams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Do they have a good idea of what turned around the PETM?
The observation is that the carbon impulse (whether from methane or
coal or whatever) was short-lived and then natural processes simply
removed the excess over ~200 thousand years. The principle process
for permanent removal is calcium carbonate formation and burial in the
oceans.
Why the carbon impulse was short-lived is unknown, largely because the
carbon source is still a matter of significant debate. The most
obvious, but unproven, scenario is that whatever carbon source was
being oxidized simply ran out of carbon.
Incidentally, there is some discussion of whether there were
additional smaller carbon excursions during the Early Eocene, like
mini-PETM events, which would imply at least some observations of
recurrence.
-Robert Rohde
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