Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), also called Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum (IETM), a short interval of maximum temperature lasting approximately 100,000 years during the late Paleocene and early Eocene epochs (roughly 55 million years ago).
How warm was the PETM?
The PETM was a global warming event that occurred roughly 56 million years ago. Scientists are unsure what caused it, but during the event massive quantities of carbon dioxide were released into Earth's atmosphere, rapidly spiking global temperatures by 5 to 8 degrees Celsius (9 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit).
How long has the Earth been warming?
Earth has experienced cold periods (or “ice ages”) and warm periods (“interglacials”) on roughly 100,000-year cycles for at least the last 1 million years. The last of these ices ended around 20,000 years ago.
Was the Eocene warm?
During the Eocene, the warmest sustained state of the Cenozoic, global mean annual surface temperatures were 13 °C ± 2.6 °C warmer than late 20th century temperatures (22), there was no permanent ice, and atmospheric CO2 was approximately 1,400 parts per million volume (ppmv) (23).
How hot was the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum?
The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), alternatively "Eocene thermal maximum 1" (ETM1), and formerly known as the "Initial Eocene" or "Late Paleocene Thermal Maximum", was a time period with a more than 5–8 °C global average temperature rise across the event.
How long did PETM last?
Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), also called Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum (IETM), a short interval of maximum temperature lasting approximately 100,000 years during the late Paleocene and early Eocene epochs (roughly 55 million years ago).
How much did the deep-sea warm during the PETM?
However, for many of Earth's species, the Eocene Optimum was anything but optimal! During this period of time, both the land and deep ocean temperatures rose between 6 and 9 degrees Celsius. The PETM warming was triggered by a rapid release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, most likely from biological sources.
How warm will the Earth be in 2050?
If we rapidly reduce global CO2 emission and reach net zero emissions by 2050, it is extremely likely that we will be able to keep warming below 2°C. If we do this, it is more likely than not that the global average temperatures will gradually recede to around 1.5°C by the end of the century.
How cold was the ice age?
The latest ice age peaked about 20,000 years ago, when global temperatures were likely about 10°F (5°C) colder than today. At the Pleistocene Ice Age's peak, massive ice sheets stretched over North America and Eurasia.
Was it warmer in Roman times?
The Mediterranean Sea was 3.6°F (2°C) hotter during the Roman Empire than other average temperatures at the time, a new study claims. The Empire coincided with a 500-year period, from AD 1 to AD 500, that was the warmest period of the last 2,000 years in the almost completely land-locked sea.