New simulation project on Late Miocene climate

21.05.2007

The Finnish IT center for science and the University of Helsinki have started a joint project to study changes in vegetation and effects on past (11-17 million years ago) Late Miocene climate. The project aims to find out how climate has affected the distribution, speciation and extinctions of past flora and fauna. The study results can clarify processes occurring in modern climate. CSC’s computing resources are used in the project.

Results help in evaluating modern climate change

The Finnish IT center for science and the University of Helsinki have started a joint project to study changes in vegetation and effects on past (11-17 million years ago) Late Miocene climate. Especially vegetation is an indication of the past climate and data on herbivores can be used to reconstruct past environments. The effect of the climate can be concluded from fossil evidence and past species distribution. The combination of model results and fossil data can indicate processes responsible for changes. The study results can help in evaluating modern climate change effects.  A seminar on the results of the project will be held in spring 2008.

The palaeoclimate model experiments in question are designed to focus on the climate response on palaeovegetation changes. The aim is to analyse not only temperature and precipitation changes due to the palaeovegetation, but concentrate also on the hydrological cycle, and on the atmospheric and ocean circulation. Available proxy data is integrated to define the model’s boundary conditions and large mammal hypsodonty (and other) proxy data are used to validate the model results. The project performs climate simulations for the Late Miocene with the fully coupled atmosphere-ocean model ECHAM5/MPIOM. The boundary conditions for the Late Miocene are based on previous model experiments with the AGCM ECHAM4 coupled to a simple slab ocean model. The model is provided by the Max-Planck-Institute of Meteorology in Hamburg (Germany).

The joint project participated by CSC and the University of Helsinki

The modelling work is done by Arne Micheels, visiting scientist at CSC, in collaboration with professor Mikael Fortelius (Helsinki University) and Jussi Eronen (Helsinki University). Contact persons at CSC are Application scientists Pirjo-Leena Forsström and Juha Lento. CSC’s computing resources are used in the project. CSC aims at supporting multidisciplinary projects that advance research broadly.

In Helsinki, fossil-based evolutionary research goes back to the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century its main exponent was world class palaeontologist and writer Björn Kurtén. In recent decades, palaeontologists from the University of Helsinki have made significant contributions to understanding continental scale climate change and it’s biotic effects, using data about extinct mammals stored in an international database maintained at the University.  In particular, Finnish researchers have developed the use of information embedded in tooth shape for quantitative study of changes in deep time.

Interesting animal species on late Miocene period

The Miocene was a generally warmer and more humid time interval than today. In particular, the Miocene was characterised by a weaker-than-present meridional temperature gradient. Primarily, forest cover was much larger and extended farther towards polar regions as compared to today. In the Early Miocene, deserts and grasslands were of minor relevance, but became successively more important ecosystems towards the end of the Miocene. Examples of Late Miocene mammal faunas are three-toed horses (e.g. Hipparion), sabertooth cats (e.g. Machairodus) and the large number of ruminant species (Ruminantia; e.g. bovids and giraffes). Typical vegetation for late Miocene were swamp cypresses (Taxodium) and evergreen broadleaf forests. Also worth mentioning is the spread of grasses (Graminae/Poaceae) and grasslands during the late Miocene.

Further information:

–  Pirjo-Leena Forsström, Application Specialist, CSC, GSM 050 3819 502, e-mail: pirjo-leena.forsstrom at csc.fi
– Jussi Eronen, Researcher, The University of Helsinki, e-mail: jussi.t.eronen at helsinki.fi
– Mikael Fortelius, Professor, The University of Helsinki, e-mail: mikael.fortelius at helsinki.fi
– Neogene of the Old World database

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