The DOI matches its Crossref record; 6 of the 6 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Coccolith clumped isotopes reveal modest rather than extreme northern high latitude amplification during the Miocene
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Accurate predictions of the future climate response to CO 2 depend on the ability of climate models to simulate past analog warmer climates, like the Miocene. However, one key unresolved issue in paleoclimate modeling is reproducing the pronounced high-latitude warmth and relatively flat latitudinal temperature gradients inferred from proxy records. Here, we use clumped isotope thermometry—a method that sidesteps limitations of conventional proxies—on pure coccolith calcite from a high-latitude North Atlantic site, extending from the Mid Miocene to the Quaternary. Coccolith-derived clumped isotope temperatures are on average ~9°C lower than alkenone estimates, representing the first proxy dataset to align with Miocene model outputs and calling into question the prevailing paradigm of pronounced high latitude amplification. This record highlights the need to continuously reevaluate proxy interpretations to achieve both reliable trends and absolute temperature values, while providing a more optimistic perspective of future high latitude climate response to CO 2 emissions.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Schauble, E. A., Ghosh, P., & Eiler, J. M. (2006) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2006.02.011 · Cited by 483 · cited 1×
“…( Δ 47 ) thermometry is a technique that estimates calci fi cation temperatures based on the excess abundance of 13 C-18 O bonds, which are more stable at lower temperatures, compared to their abundance if the rare isotopes 13 C and 18 O were stochastically distributed among all isotopologues 10 .”
Bernasconi, S. M., Daëron, M., Bergmann, K. D., Bonifacie, M., Meckler, A. N., Affek, H. P., Anderson, N., Bajnai, D., Barkan, E., Beverly, E., et al. (2021) · Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems · doi:10.1029/2020gc009588 · Cited by 340
Self-citationAnderson, N. T., Kelson, J. R., Kele, S., Daëron, M., Bonifacie, M., Horita, J., Mackey, T. J., John, C. M., Kluge, T., Petschnig, P., et al. (2021) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/2020gl092069 · Cited by 323
Self-citationJohn, C. M., & Bowen, D. (2016) · Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry · doi:10.1002/rcm.7720 · Cited by 247
13C–18O isotope signatures and ‘clumped isotope’ thermometry in foraminifera and coccoliths
Tripati, A. K., Eagle, R. A., Thiagarajan, N., Gagnon, A. C., Bauch, H., Halloran, P. R., & Eiler, J. M. (2010) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2010.07.006 · Cited by 240
Katz, A., Bonifacie, M., Hermoso, M., Cartigny, P., & Calmels, D. (2017) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2017.02.025 · Cited by 44
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 62
- Herbert, T. D. et al. Late Miocene global cooling and the rise of modern ecosystems. Nat. Geosci. 9, 843–847 (2016). · DOI
- Liu, Z. et al. Global cooling during the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition. Science 323, 1187–1190 (2009). · DOI
- Westerhold, T. et al. An astronomically dated record of Earth’s climate and its predictability over the last 66 million years. Science 369, 1383–1388 (2020). · DOI
- Burls, N. J. et al. Simulating Miocene warmth: insights from an opportunistic multi-model ensemble (MioMIP1). Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 36, e2020PA004054 (2021). · DOI
- Steinthorsdottir, M. et al. The Miocene: the future of the past. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 36, e2020PA004037 (2021). · DOI
- Lee, D., Sarr, A. C., Acosta, R. P. & Poulsen, C. J. Multiple ocean equilibria and decoupling of Miocene atmospheric pCO2 and regional temperatures. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 40, e2025PA005126 (2025). · DOI
- Lawrence, K. T., Herbert, T. D., Brown, C. M., Raymo, M. E. & Haywood, A. M. High-amplitude variations in North Atlantic sea surface temperature during the early Pliocene warm period. Paleoceanography 24, PA2218 (2009). · DOI
- Super, J. R. et al. Miocene evolution of North Atlantic sea surface temperature. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 35, e2019PA003748 (2020). · DOI
- Meinicke, N., Reimi, M. A., Ravelo, A. C. & Meckler, A. N. Coupled Mg/Ca and clumped isotope measurements indicate lack of substantial mixed layer cooling in the western Pacific warm pool during the last ∼5 million years. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 36, e2020PA004115 (2021). · DOI
- Meckler, A. N. et al. Cenozoic evolution of deep ocean temperature from clumped isotope thermometry. Science 377, 86–90 (2022). · DOI · Paper page
- Drury, A. J. & John, C. M. Exploring the potential of clumped isotope thermometry on coccolith-rich sediments as a sea surface temperature proxy. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 17, 4092–4104 (2016). · DOI
- Tagliavento, M., John, C. M. & Stemmerik, L. Tropical temperature in the Maastrichtian Danish basin: data from coccolith Δ47 and δ18. OneGeology 47, 1074–1078 (2019).
- Mejía, L. M. et al. Clumped isotopes in globally distributed Holocene coccoliths reveal their habitat depth. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 619, 118313 (2023). · DOI
- Clark, A. J., Torres-Romero, I., Jaggi, M., Bernasconi, S. M. & Stoll, H. M. A clumped isotope calibration of coccoliths at well-constrained culture temperatures for marine temperature reconstructions. Climate 20, 2081–2101 (2024).
- Clark, A. J., Jaggi, M., Bernasconi, S. M., Fiebig, J. & Stoll, H. M. Clumped isotope temperatures of coccolithophores from global sediment traps. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 40, e2024PA005054 (2025). · DOI · Paper page
- Müller, P. J., Kirst, G., Ruhland, G., Von Storch, I. & Rosell-Melé, A. Calibration of the alkenone paleotemperature index UK’37 based on core-tops from the eastern South Atlantic and the global ocean (60°N-60°S). Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 62, 1757–1772 (1998). · DOI
- Tierney, J. E. & Tingley, M. P. BAYSPLINE: a new calibration for the alkenone paleothermometer. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 33, 281–301 (2018). · DOI
- Prahl, F. G., Muehlhausen, L. A. & Zahnle, D. L. Further evaluation of long-chain alkenones as indicators of paleoceanographic conditions. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 52, 2303–2310 (1988). · DOI
- Ostermann, D. Iceland Sea carbonate flux increases dramatically. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Annual Report. pp. 17–18 (2001).
- Stolper, D. A., Eiler, J. M. & Higgins, J. A. Modeling the effects of diagenesis on carbonate clumped-isotope values in deep- and shallow-water settings. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 227, 264–291 (2018). · DOI · Paper page
- Mejía, L. M. et al. Effects of midlatitude westerlies on the paleoproductivity at the Agulhas bank slope during the penultimate glacial cycle: evidence from coccolith Sr/Ca ratios. Paleoceanography 29, 697–714 (2014). · DOI
- Richter, F. M. & Liang, Y. The rate and consequences of Sr diagenesis in deep-sea carbonates. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 117, 553–565 (1993). · DOI
- Stoll, H. et al. Insights on coccolith chemistry from a new ion probe method for analysis of individually picked coccoliths. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 8, Q06020 (2007). · DOI
- Mejía, L. M. et al. Controls over δ44/40Ca and Sr/Ca variations in coccoliths: new perspectives from laboratory cultures and cellular models. Earth Planet Sci. Lett. 481, 48–60 (2018). · DOI
- Hassenkam, T., Johnsson, A., Bechgaard, K. & Stipp, S. L. S. Tracking single coccolith dissolution with picogram resolution and implications for CO2 sequestration and ocean acidification. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108, 8571–8576 (2011). · DOI
- Chiu, T. C. & Broecker, W. S. Toward better paleocarbonate ion reconstructions: new insights regarding the CaCO3 size index. Paleoceanography 23, PA2216 (2008). · DOI
- D’Andrea, W. J., Theroux, S., Bradley, R. S. & Huang, X. Does phylogeny control U37K-temperature sensitivity implications for lacustrine alkenone paleothermometry. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 175, 168–180 (2016). · DOI
- Conte, M. H. et al. Global temperature calibration of the alkenone unsaturation index (U 37k) in surface waters and comparison with surface sediments. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 7, Q02005 (2006). · DOI
- Popp, B. N., Kenig, F., Wakeham, S. G., Laws, E. A. & Bidigare, R. R. Does growth rate affect ketone unsaturation and intracellular carbon isotopic variability in Emiliania huxleyi? Paleoceanography 13, 35–41 (1998). · DOI
- Conte, M. H., Thompson, A., Lesley, D. & Harris, R. P. Genetic and physiological influences on the alkenone/alkenoate versus growth temperature relationship in Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 62, 51–68 (1998). · DOI
- Herbert, T. D. Review of alkenone calibrations (culture, water column, and sediments). Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 2, 2000GC000055 (2001). · DOI
- Gong, C. & Hollander, D. J. Evidence for differential degradation of alkenones under contrasting bottom water oxygen conditions: implication for paleotemperature reconstruction. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 63, 405–411 (1999). · DOI
- Hoefs, M. J. L. et al. Postdepositional oxic degradation of alkenones: implications for the measurement of palaeo sea surface temperatures. Paleoceanography 13, 42–49 (1998). · DOI
- Rontani, J. F. et al. Degradation of alkenones by aerobic heterotrophic bacteria: selective or not? Org. Geochem. 39, 34–51 (2008). · DOI
- Ausín, B., Haghipour, N., Bruni, E. & Eglinton, T. The influence of lateral transport on sedimentary alkenone paleoproxy signals. Biogeosciences 19, 613–627 (2022). · DOI
- Behrenfeld, M. J., Doney, S. C., Lima, I., Boss, E. S. & Siegel, D. A. Annual cycles of ecological disturbance and recovery underlying the subarctic Atlantic spring plankton bloom. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 27, 526–540 (2013). · DOI
- Broerse, A. T. C., Ziveri, P., Van Hinte, J. E. & Honjo, S. Coccolithophore export production, species composition, and coccolith-CaCO3 fluxes in the NE Atlantic (34 °N 21 °W and 48 °N 21 °W). Deep Sea Res. 2 Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 47, 1877–1905 (2000). · DOI
- Rosell-Melé, A. & Prahl, F. G. Seasonality of UK’37 temperature estimates as inferred from sediment trap data. Quat. Sci. Rev. 72, 128–136 (2013). · DOI
- Rosell-Melé, A., Comes, P., Müller, P. J. & Ziveri, P. Alkenone fluxes and anomalous UK’37 values during 1989-1990 in the Northeast Atlantic (48°N 21°W). Mar. Chem. 71, 251–264 (2000). · DOI
- Filippova, A., Kienast, M., Frank, M. & Schneider, R. R. Alkenone paleothermometry in the North Atlantic: a review and synthesis of surface sediment data and calibrations. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 17, 1370–1382 (2016). · DOI
- Mignot, A., Ferrari, R. & Claustre, H. Floats with bio-optical sensors reveal what processes trigger the North Atlantic bloom. Nat. Commun. 9, 1–9 (2018). · DOI · Paper page
- Tierney, J. E. & Tingley, M. P. A TEX86 surface sediment database and extended Bayesian calibration. Sci. Data 2015 2, 1–10 (2015).
- Ho, S. L. & Laepple, T. Flat meridional temperature gradient in the early Eocene in the subsurface rather than surface ocean. Nat. Geosci. 9, 606–610 (2016). · DOI
- Crichton, K. A., Ridgwell, A., Lunt, D. J., Farnsworth, A. & Pearson, P. N. Data-constrained assessment of ocean circulation changes since the middle Miocene in an Earth system model. Climate 17, 2223–2254 (2021).
- Goldner, A., Herold, N. & Huber, M. The challenge of simulating the warmth of the mid-Miocene climatic optimum in CESM1. Climate 10, 523–536 (2014).
- Liu, X., Huber, M., Foster, G. L., Dessler, A. & Zhang, Y. G. Persistent high latitude amplification of the Pacific Ocean over the past 10 million years. Nat. Commun.13, 1–14 (2022). · DOI
- Max, L., Lembke-Jene, L., Zou, J., Shi, X. & Tiedemann, R. Evaluation of reconstructed sea surface temperatures based on U37k′ from sediment surface samples of the North Pacific. Quat. Sci. Rev. 243, 106496 (2020). · DOI
- Nirenberg, J. E. & Herbert, T. D. North Pacific warmth synchronous with the Miocene climatic optimum. Geology 53, 145–149 (2025). · DOI
- Martinot, C. et al. Drivers of late Miocene tropical sea surface cooling: a new perspective from the equatorial Indian Ocean. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 37, e2021PA004407 (2022). · DOI
- Pelejero, C., Calvo, E., Pelejero, C. & Calvo, E. The upper end of the UK′37 temperature calibration revisited. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 4, 1014 (2003). · DOI
- Lunt, D. J. et al. DeepMIP: model intercomparison of early Eocene climatic optimum (EECO) large-scale climate features and comparison with proxy data. Climate 17, 203–227 (2021).
- Rousselle, G., Beltran, C., Sicre, M. A., Raffi, I. & De Rafélis, M. Changes in sea-surface conditions in the equatorial Pacific during the middle Miocene–Pliocene as inferred from coccolith geochemistry. Earth Planet Sci. Lett. 361, 412–421 (2013). · DOI
- Zhu, J., Poulsen, C. J. & Tierney, J. E. Simulation of Eocene extreme warmth and high climate sensitivity through cloud feedbacks. Sci. Adv. 5, eaax1874 (2019). · DOI
- Drury, A. J., Westerhold, T., Hodell, D. & Röhl, U. Reinforcing the North Atlantic backbone: revision and extension of the composite splice at ODP site 982. Climate 14, 321–338 (2018).
- Guitián, J. et al. Midlatitude temperature variations in the Oligocene to early Miocene. Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 34, 1328–1343 (2019). · DOI
- Zhang, H., Liu, C., Mejía, L. M. & Stoll, H. Technical note: accelerate coccolith size separation via repeated centrifugation. Biogeosciences 18, 1909–1916 (2021). · DOI
- Young, J. R. & Ziveri, P. Calculation of coccolith volume and its use in calibration of carbonate flux estimates. Deep Sea Res. II Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 47, 1679–1700 (2000). · DOI
- Richter, F. M. & DePaolo, D. J. Numerical models for diagenesis and the Neogene Sr isotopic evolution of seawater from DSDP site 590B. Earth Planet Sci. Lett. 83, 27–38 (1987). · DOI
- Schrag, D. P., DePaolo, D. J. & Richter, F. M. Oxygen isotope exchange in a two-layer model of oceanic crust. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 111, 305–317 (1992). · DOI
- Müller, I. A. et al. Carbonate clumped isotope analyses with the long-integration dual-inlet (LIDI) workflow: scratching at the lower sample weight boundaries. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 31, 1057–1066 (2017). · DOI
- Johnson, G. C. & Lyman, J. M. GOSML: a global ocean surface mixed layer statistical monthly climatology: means, percentiles, skewness, and kurtosis. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 127, e2021JC018219 (2022). · DOI
- Felden, J. et al. PANGAEA—data publisher for earth & environmental science. Sci. Data 10, 347 (2023). · DOI
Metadata
- Authors
- Mejía, L. M., Bernasconi, S. M., Fernandez, A., Zhang, H., Guitián, J., Jaggi, M., Taylor, V. E., Perez-Huerta, A., & Stoll, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Bremen (DE)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Tongji University (CN)
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Mejía, Luz María
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-12-09
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 10981-10981
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12689775
- OpenAlex
- W4417153921
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 1.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- ETH Zürich Research Collection (cc-by)
- Funders
- European Commission (795053, HORIZON2020)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (390741603, EXC-2077)
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
- European Regional Development Fund (MICIU/AEI/10)
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación (13039, AEI/10)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Keywords
- clumped isotope thermometry, Miocene climate, latitudinal temperature gradient, North Atlantic
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
