Wallace Broecker Colloquium Abstract (Jan 20, 2016)

Global Warming: A Geologic Analogue

Fifty-five million years ago, over a period of less than 10,000 years, the Earth's temperature jumped up by 5º C and remained there for about 20,000 years. As this warming was driven by CO2, it serves as a geologic analogue for the ongoing fossil fuel-induced warming. One message it sends us is that we might trigger a long-term release of methane stored in continental margin sediments.