Cyclic changes in Pennsylvanian paleoclimate and effects on floristic dynamics in tropical Pangaea
TL;DR: Wetland floras narrowly define perceptions of Pennsylvanian tropical ecosystems, the so-called coal Age as discussed by the authors, and the importance of seasonally-dry vegetation has suffered from conceptual and terminological confusion.
About: This article is published in International Journal of Coal Geology.The article was published on 2010-08-01. It has received 138 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Pennsylvanian & Carboniferous.
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TL;DR: This work provides a general overview of the current state of affairs regarding the understanding, measurement and application of MWL in the design of complex systems over the last three decades, and discusses contemporary challenges for applied research.
Abstract: Mental workload (MWL) is one of the most widely used concepts in ergonomics and human factors and represents a topic of increasing importance. Since modern technology in many working environments imposes ever more cognitive demands upon operators while physical demands diminish, understanding how MWL impinges on performance is increasingly critical. Yet, MWL is also one of the most nebulous concepts, with numerous definitions and dimensions associated with it. Moreover, MWL research has had a tendency to focus on complex, often safety-critical systems (e.g. transport, process control). Here we provide a general overview of the current state of affairs regarding the understanding, measurement and application of MWL in the design of complex systems over the last three decades. We conclude by discussing contemporary challenges for applied research, such as the interaction between cognitive workload and physical workload, and the quantification of workload ‘redlines’ which specify when operators are approachi...
578 citations
TL;DR: The coal type refers solely to coals' depositional origin and the maceral-mineral admixture resulting from that origin, whereas coal rank refers to the changes in geochemistry and resultant changes in reflectance caused by increasing thermal maturity of the coal.
250 citations
Cites background from "Cyclic changes in Pennsylvanian pal..."
...…to that in the Pleistocene and Holocene, and was dominated by glacial–interglacial cycles and their effects on sea level (Wanless and Shepard, 1936), sedimentary dynamics (Cecil and Dulong, 2003; Cecil et al., 2003a), and biotic patterns (DiMichele et al., 2010; Falcon-Lang and DiMichele, 2010)....
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TL;DR: Fluvial landscapes diversified markedly over the 250 million years between the Cambrian and Pennsylvanian periods as discussed by the authors and the diversification occurred in tandem with the evolution of vascular plants and expanding vegetation cover.
Abstract: Fluvial landscapes diversified markedly over the 250 million years between the Cambrian and Pennsylvanian periods. The diversification occurred in tandem with the evolution of vascular plants and expanding vegetation cover. In the absence of widespread vegetation, landscapes during the Cambrian and Ordovican periods were dominated by rivers with wide sand-beds and aeolian tracts. During the late Silurian and Devonian periods, the appearance of vascular plants with root systems was associated with the development of channelled sand-bed rivers, meandering rivers and muddy floodplains. The widespread expansion of trees by the Early Pennsylvanian marks the appearance of narrow fixed channels, some representing anabranching systems, and braided rivers with vegetated islands. We conclude that the development of roots stabilized the banks of rivers and streams. The subsequent appearance of woody debris led to log jams that promoted the rapid formation of new river channels. Our contention is supported by studies of modern fluvial systems and laboratory experiments. In turn, fluvial styles influenced plant evolution as new ecological settings developed along the fluvial systems. We suggest that terrestrial plant and landscape evolution allowed colonization by an increasingly diverse array of organisms.
239 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated, for the first time, that Coal Forest fragmentation influenced profoundly the ecology and evolution of terrestrial fauna in tropical Euramerica, and illustrate the tight coupling that existed between vegetation, climate, and trophic webs.
Abstract: Abrupt collapse of the tropical rainforest biome (Coal Forests) drove rapid diversification of Carboniferous tetrapods (amphibians and reptiles) in Euramerica. This finding is based on analysis of global and alpha diversity databases in a precise geologic context. From Visean to Moscovian time, both diversity measures steadily increased, but following rainforest collapse in earliest Kasimovian time (ca. 305 Ma), tetrapod extinction rate peaked, alpha diversity imploded, and endemism developed for the first time. Analysis of ecological diversity shows that rainforest collapse was also accompanied by acquisition of new feeding strategies (predators, herbivores), consistent with tetrapod adaptation to the effects of habitat fragmentation and resource restriction. Effects on amphibians were particularly devastating, while amniotes (‘reptiles’) fared better, being ecologically adapted to the drier conditions that followed. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that Coal Forest fragmentation influenced profoundly the ecology and evolution of terrestrial fauna in tropical Euramerica, and illustrate the tight coupling that existed between vegetation, climate, and trophic webs.
158 citations
Cites background from "Cyclic changes in Pennsylvanian pal..."
...In cratonic areas of North America (where the effects of tectonics can be excluded), an abrupt shift to more arid climates has been linked to rainforest collapse (DiMichele et al., 2009, 2010), though the exact causal mechanism remains uncertain....
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TL;DR: This paper developed the sequence stratigraphy and onlap-offlap history for a 33my interval of the Carboniferous using the U-Pb calibrated succession of the Donets Basin, Ukraine, in order to assess the relationship between sea-level, high-latitude changes in glacial extent, and climate.
150 citations
Cites background from "Cyclic changes in Pennsylvanian pal..."
...However, the formation of regionally distributed Donets coals likely required the additional influence of climate change to markedly wetter conditions (Cecil et al., 2003; DiMichele et al., 2010)....
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References
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01 Jan 1967
2,505 citations
"Cyclic changes in Pennsylvanian pal..." refers background in this paper
...Consequently, it has been possible to develop both static and dynamic schemes for describing the distribution of modern global vegetation (e.g., Holdridge, 1967; Walter, 1985; Woodward et al., 2004)....
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TL;DR: A history of sea-level fluctuations for the entire Paleozoic by using stratigraphic sections from pericratonic and cratonic basins is reconstructed, revealing a gradual rise through the Cambrian and a short-lived but prominent withdrawal in response to Hirnantian glaciation.
Abstract: Sea levels have been determined for most of the Paleozoic Era (542 to 251 million years ago), but an integrated history of sea levels has remained unrealized. We reconstructed a history of sea-level fluctuations for the entire Paleozoic by using stratigraphic sections from pericratonic and cratonic basins. Evaluation of the timing and amplitude of individual sea-level events reveals that the magnitude of change is the most problematic to estimate accurately. The long-term sea level shows a gradual rise through the Cambrian, reaching a zenith in the Late Ordovician, then a short-lived but prominent withdrawal in response to Hirnantian glaciation. Subsequent but decreasingly substantial eustatic highs occurred in the mid-Silurian, near the Middle/Late Devonian boundary, and in the latest Carboniferous. Eustatic lows are recorded in the early Devonian, near the Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary, and in the Late Permian. One hundred and seventy-two eustatic events are documented for the Paleozoic, varying in magnitude from a few tens of meters to ∼125 meters.
1,227 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1936
1,220 citations
"Cyclic changes in Pennsylvanian pal..." refers background in this paper
...Central to the points raised in this paper is the recognition that plants of any time in geologic history closely reflect climate, if modern times can be taken as a reliable model for the past (Köppen, 1936; Claussen, 1998)....
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Book•
27 Nov 1992
TL;DR: The early Cambrian to late Ordovician warm mode has been studied in this paper, where the authors present a chronology of climate change in the Cenozoic climate change Bibliography Index.
Abstract: Preface Introduction 1. The early Cambrian to late Ordovician warm mode 2. The late Ordovician to early Silurian cool mode 3. The late Silurian to early Carboniferous warm mode 4. The early Carboniferous to late Permian cool mode 5. The late Permian to middle Jurassic warm mode 6. The middle Jurassic to early Cretaceous cool mode 7. The late Cretaceous to early Tertiary warm mode 8. The Cenozoic cool mode: early Eocene - late Miocene 9. The Cenozoic cool mode: late Miocene - Holocene 10. Causes and chronology of climate change Bibliography Index.
839 citations
Book•
02 Dec 1983
TL;DR: In this article, a classification of the geo-biosphere into zonobiomes is presented, based on the conditions in natural ecosystems, since it would be beyond the scope of this book to embark upon a consideration of secondary, man-made ecosystems.
Abstract: We shall limit our observations to the conditions in natural ecosystems, since it would be beyond the scope of this book to embark upon a consideration of secondary, man-made ecosystems. 2. Classification of the Geo-biosphere into Zonobiomes The biosphere is the thin layer of the earth's surface to which the phenomena connected with living matter are confined. On land, this comprises the lowest layer of the atmosphere permanently inhabited by living organisms and into which plants extend, as well as the root-containing portion of the lithosphere, which we term the soil. Living organisms are also found in all bodies of water, to the very depths of the oceans. In a watery medium, however, cycling of material is achieved by means other than those on land, and the organisms (plankton) are so different that aquatic ecosystems have to be dealt with separately. The biosphere is therefore subdivided into (a) the geo-biosphere comprising terrestrial ecosystems, and (b) the hydro-biosphere, comprising aquatic ecosystems, which is the field of hydrobiologists (oceanographers and limnologists) . Our studies are confined to the geo-biosphere (Walter 1976), which constitutes the habitat of man and is, therefore, of special interest. The prevailing climate, being the primary independent factor in the environment, can be used as a basis for further subdivision of the geo-biosphere since the formation of soil and type of vegetation are dependent upon it (see p. 3), and it has not yet been substantially influenced by man.
761 citations