Shelf ecosystems along the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain prior to and during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum KU Leuven
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is the most pronounced climate event of the early Paleogene. It is characterized by negative δ18O and δ13C excursions recorded in sedimentary archives and a transient disruption of the marine biosphere. Bulk carbonate and foraminiferal δ13C records from Paleocene-Eocene core sections from the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain show an additional small, but distinct δ13C excursion below the onset of the PETM, coined the “pre-onset excursion” (POE). This study focuses on the South Dover Bridge (SDB) core in Maryland, where the Paleocene-Eocene transition is ...