High rainfall afforded resilience to tropical rainforests during Early Eocene Climatic Optimum

• Published in: Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology, 2023-10, Vol.628, p.111762, Article 111762
• Main Authors: Srivastava, Gaurav, Bhatia, Harshita, Verma, Poonam, Singh, Yogesh Pal, Utescher, Torsten, Mehrotra, Rakesh C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cenozoic; Climate reconstruction; Fossils; Palaeoclimate; Paleogene
• ISSN: 0031-0182; 1872-616X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111762

The rainforests near the early Eocene palaeo-equator were more resilient to greenhouse warming than mid-latitude vegetation. The mechanism underlying that resilience remains poorly known due to the lack of reliable terrestrial climate data from the palaeo-equator. In this paper, we quantify terrestrial temperature data using a plant proxy approach and infer that early Eocene climate near the palaeo-equator (∼2.6° N) was warmer than in mid- to high palaeolatitudes. The data also suggest that high levels of rainfall near the palaeo-equator might have afforded greater resilience to tropical rainforests by increasing the water use efficiency of trees during the warm greenhouse world of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. [Display omitted] •Quantified the terrestrial climate of Early Eocene Climatic Optimum of low latitude.•Rainforests near the equator were resilient and functional during this period.•Temperature reconstruction reveals a warmer equator than mid and high latitudes.•High rainfall provided resilience to rainforests to remain functional.