Fossil plants record an atmospheric 12CO2 and temperature spike across the Palaeocene-Eocene transition in NW Europe

The large negative excursion of carbon-isotope composition (delta(13)C) recorded from foraminifera and bulk carbonates indicates a major anomaly in the operation of the global carbon cycle across the Palaeocene-Eocene boundary. Therefore, me sought terrestrial evidence for the transfer of isotopically light carbon ((CO2)-C-12) from the ocean to the atmosphere by making systematic delta(13)C measurements or well-dated sequences of fossil pollen from NW Europe. The results indicate an atmospheric (CO2)-C-12, spike of c. 2% between 58 and 55 Ma coincident with the ocean isotopic anomalies. Pollen spectra from these sequences suggest a marked shift in dominance from mixed mesophytic to para-tropical forests synchronous with the terrestrial isotope excursion.