How hot was the Earth in the past ?

What happens to the temperature of the earth when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise? The answer is elusive. But the hidden clue in the fossil record.

Research conducted by scientists from Syracuse University and Yale to give a clearer picture about the temperature of the earth in 50 million years ago when the concentration of C02 is much higher than today. The results of research that may provide clues about what will happen in the future when C02 levels continue to climb. Studies conducted Caitlin Keating-Bitonti, an alumnus of Syracuse University in 2009, is the first study that compares these factors with temperature geochemistry to determine the average annual temperature and seasonal. "The period of the early Eocene Epoch (50 million years ago) is almost as hot as the earth for 65 million years, since the demise of the dinosaurs," said Linda Ivany, earth science expert who became the supervisor Keating-Bitonti. "At that crocodiles live above the Arctic Circle and palm trees in Alaska. We try to find answers to how hot the earth at various latitudes are different." Previous studies showed that, during the Eocene period, the polar regions is very hot, above 30 degrees Celsius. However, the strongest sun occurs in tropical, subtropical, and the earth's equator (low latitude), so a little colder polar regions. Their research showed that the average water temperature along the Gulf coast of America in the Eocene about 27 degrees Celsius, slightly cooler when compared to predictions of previous studies. Modern temperatures in the study area was approximately 23.8 degrees Celsius. The researchers found, during the Eocene, temperatures in the study area did not change more than 3-5 degrees Celsius throughout the season. Now, the area's seasonal temperatures fluctuate around 12 degrees Celsius. The results of recent studies indicate that the polar and sub polar regions, although still very hot, will not be as hot as previously thought.*** [SCIENCEDAILY|KORAN TEMPO 3583]