Comparing the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum with the Current Climate

The climate of the Holocene epoch, which is the current epoch of the Quaternary Period, varies from pole to pole, with tropical climates around the equator, and frigid climates around the poles. During the time of the Paleogene Period, temperatures were at one of the warmest points in earth’s history. Fossils of tropical plants were found in the Arctic Circle and there were no ice caps on the planet. There is one specific time frame during the Paleogene Period we are looking at – the time frame of both the Paleocene and Eocene epochs. One famous event that occurred during these two epochs was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which was a series of warm temperatures that changed the global climate due to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The purpose of this research is to compare the two climate periods, the PETM with the Holocene epoch. In 2014, five times more carbon dioxide was emitted by natural and anthropogenic sources than was released during the entire 4,000-year time period of the peak of the PETM. I compared a series of statistical models for different greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere at the time of the epochs, along with the sea and land temperature differences. Just strictly comparing carbon dioxide levels, the earth has already passed the levels of carbon dioxide that was reached during the PETM. During the Holocene epoch, global temperatures have risen 0.74°C in the past century. Since the direct measurement of carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii Observatory began in 1958, carbon dioxide has risen over 100 ppm. During the Paleogene Period, the earth warmed a significant amount. While, the earth may not have reached that point yet, it is warming much faster in the Holocene epoch than it did during the Paleogene Period.