Greenhouse gases are at the root of long-term climate change

Washington: It turns out that greenhouse gases were the main drivers of climate change 66 million years ago, giving insights into the causes of long-term climate change. term.

Circulation models have been driving cooling temperatures towards the end of the Eocene greenhouse period, but some have blamed the decreasing levels of carbon dioxide.

The Eocene Era is a major division of the geological time scale and the second epoch of the paleogenic period of the Cenozoic Era.

Climate change often has more intense effects near poles than elsewhere on the planet.

The synchronized evolution of reconstructed tropical and polar temperatures can only be explained by the forcing of greenhouse gases.

"Our results are only consistent with the hypothesis that long-term cooling of the Eocene would be due to greenhouse gases. This greatly enhances our understanding of the drivers of long-term climate change, which is important for predicting the development of future climate change, "said Margot Cramwinckel, author of the paper.

The researchers also found was more dramatic near the poles than in the tropics during the Eocene. Although most of the period was extremely hot, leaving little or no ice near the poles.

The results are published in the Journal of Nature.