Using fossil leaves as paleoprecipitation indicators: An Eocene example

Research Article| March 01, 1998 Using fossil leaves as paleoprecipitation indicators: An Eocene example Peter Wilf; Peter Wilf 1Department of Paleobiology, MRC 121, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Scott L. Wing; Scott L. Wing 1Department of Paleobiology, MRC 121, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David R. Greenwood; David R. Greenwood 2Department of Biological and Food Sciences, Victoria University of Technology, St. Albans Campus, P.O. Box 14428, MCMC, Melbourne, Victoria 8001, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Cathy L. Greenwood Cathy L. Greenwood 3Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Peter Wilf 1Department of Paleobiology, MRC 121, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 Scott L. Wing 1Department of Paleobiology, MRC 121, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 David R. Greenwood 2Department of Biological and Food Sciences, Victoria University of Technology, St. Albans Campus, P.O. Box 14428, MCMC, Melbourne, Victoria 8001, Australia Cathy L. Greenwood 3Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1998) 26 (3): 203–206. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)0262.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Peter Wilf, Scott L. Wing, David R. Greenwood, Cathy L. Greenwood; Using fossil leaves as paleoprecipitation indicators: An Eocene example. Geology 1998;; 26 (3): 203–206. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)0262.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Estimates of past precipitation are of broad interest for many areas of inquiry, including reconstructions of past environments and topography, climate modeling, and ocean circulation studies. The shapes and sizes of living leaves are highly sensitive to moisture conditions, and assemblages of fossil leaves of flowering plants have great potential as paleoprecipitation indicators. Most quantitative estimates of paleoprecipitation have been based on a multivariate data set of morphological leaf characters measured from samples of living vegetation tied to climate stations. However, when tested on extant forests, this method has consistently overestimated precipitation. We present a simpler approach that uses only the mean leaf area of a vegetation sample as a predictor variable but incorporates a broad range of annual precipitation and geographic coverage into the predictor set. The significant relationship that results, in addition to having value for paleoclimatic reconstruction, refines understanding of the long-observed positive relationship between leaf area and precipitation. Seven precipitation estimates for the Eocene of the Western United States are revised as lower than previously published but remain far wetter than the same areas today. Abundant moisture may have been an important factor in maintaining warm, frost-free conditions in the Eocene because of the major role of water vapor in retaining and transporting atmospheric heat. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.