Exploring the Cretaceous Greenhouse through Scientific Drilling

April 15-17, 2013 – London, United Kingdom
Convener: Stuart Robinson, Timothy Bralower

Overview

The International Ocean Discovery Program’s science plan identifies understanding the response of Earth’s climate system to elevated levels of atmospheric CO₂ as one of the key themes for the next phase of scientific ocean drilling. The most recent super-greenhouse interval, from 125-80 Ma in the Cretaceous, provides a unique opportunity to address this theme. This workshop was convened with the specific goal of instigating new oceanic and continental drilling legs designed to further our understanding of Cretaceous oceans, how circulation was driven, the factors that led to ocean acidification and different degrees of deoxygenation, and the impact of these conditions on life at the surface of the ocean and at depth.

Workshop Report (PDF 18Mb)

Organizing Committee
Tim Bralower (co-chair), Pennsylvania State University
Stuart Robinson (co-chair), University College London
Paul Bown, University College London
Elisabetta Erba, Università degli Studi di Milano
Hugh Jenkyns, Oxford University
Mark Leckie, University of Massachusetts

Sponsors
U.S. Science Support Program
IODP Management International
International Continental Scientific Drilling Program
MagellanPlus Workshop Series
European Consortium of Ocean Research Drilling