Scientists find ancient Wyoming forest took 100,000 years to recover from warming
New research on fossilized leaves from Wyoming reveals that forests took over 100,000 years to recover from a rapid warming event 56 million years ago. The study provides a historical perspective on how ecosystems respond to extreme climate shifts and elevated CO2 levels.
Why it matters
Understanding the long-term recovery of ancient ecosystems offers critical insights into the potential duration and severity of modern climate change impacts.
Deep in the rock record of Wyoming, a layer of fossil leaves tells a quiet but powerful story about what happens to forests when the planet warms rapidly. About 56 million years ago, during a spike in global temperatures known as the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a lush subtropical forest that once covered the region lost roughly 60 percent of its canopy. New researchtitled 'Forest canopy decline under elevated CO2 during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum' published in the journal Science, based on tens of thousands of fossil leaves, shows that the ecosystem did not bounce back quickly. It took more than 100,000 years for the forest to regain its former diversity and structure.
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