What caused the Eocene warm period?

[oldconfuseddude]

In the thread about the 2010 Arctic ice extend I posted a question asking if the high temperatures that existed in the Eocene about 40 million years ago were caused by high levels of atmospheric C02 or vice versa. The answer was that in all probability it was the high ocean temperatures that caused the high levels of atmospheric C02 rather than the other way around.


So my questions now are; What cause the much higher temperatures at that time?

Were the temperatures just as high in the southern hemisphere at similar latitudes?

Was this a world wide phenomena?

What happened?

Was this caused by a significant increase in total solar irradiance?

[boxman]

We simply have absolutely no idea. Such temps were more of the norm throughout most of earths history before we started moving towards ice age. Even arctic had palm trees and tropical life some million years ago even though equator regions was around as hot as today.

One theory is that it is that it is the continental drift that changed the ocean and atmospheric circulation leading to the ice age we are currently experiencing. There is also a theory that it is some kind of space influence that affects cosmic rays which again modulates cloud cover and temperatures on earth.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phanerozoic_Climate_Change.png

[northsphinx]

Do the calculations with a thicker atmosphere.
I put my bet on that.

[graywolf]

I think the opening of the 'proto-Atlantic', and the mountains it drove up, helped in both Atmospheric circulation to become fsavourable to a 'Greenhouse' climate but also aided by putting CO2 into the atmosphere,

The temp ,as today, flowed suit.

As I posted on the other thread 'the devil is in the detail' and if you mis interpret the 'detail' then you're in a mess.

Not only is science moving forwards in data collection it is also moving forwards in it's data 'interpretation'.

[stranger]

Actually, some who would like the public to describe them as scientists have let their theories get far ahead of data collection. Where there are gaps in the data they have, they invent data to suit their theories de jour. When the scientific method calls for a search for alternate data sources or for them to put their grant grabbling on the shelf until data does become available.

Stranger