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About the
Permian Paleoclimate Atlas
This electronic atlas takes advantage of the internet to present a
wide range of new paleoclimate data and model results for the Permian.
This medium allows great flexibility and interactivity, and in particular,
allows the presentation of a wide and comprehensive range of material,
far beyond what paper publishing would allow. Initially, only information
for the Wordian stage (268 Ma) is shown.
The Permian Period contains the most recent transition from a major
glaciation to a fully ice-free state, a transition that has been ascribed
to an increase in atmospheric CO2. Intriguingly, this deglaciation was
relatively rapid, being mainly confined to the Sakmarian stage (Early
Permian). A new set of paleogeographic maps has been compiled for the
Permian that include the most detailed reconstructions of paleotopography
produced for any pre-Quaternary interval. These maps have been used
as boundary conditions for a suite of experiments with the GENESIS (version
2) GCM. Experiments reported here were conducted for the Sakmarian and
Wordian paleogeographies, with varied levels of atmospheric CO2. Our
goals were to: (1) evaluate how differences in paleogeography between
the two stages is manifested in the data and model results; (2) investigate
the effects of incorporating extensive lakes in southern Gondwanan,
shown to be important in previous experiments; and (3) investigate the
potential for ice-sheet initiation: was high CO2 responsible for keeping
the late Sakmarian and the Wordian ice-free? Predictions made by the
model are tested against new global compilations of independent data
derived from the geological record.
