Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Science

How the Southern Ocean helped fuel Earth's warmest climate in 65 million years

About 50 million years ago, Earth experienced its warmest climate since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Global temperatures were more than 10°C higher than today, and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations reached around 1,600 parts per million. But what kept CO₂ levels so extraordinarily high for millions...

How the Southern Ocean helped fuel Earth's warmest climate in 65 million years
Image: Phys.org
About 50 million years ago, Earth experienced its warmest climate since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Global temperatures were more than 10°C higher than today, and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations reached around 1,600 parts per million. But what kept CO₂ levels so extraordinarily high for millions of years? An international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry has identified an important piece of the puzzle: the Southern Ocean.

Originally published at Phys.org

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