Forests are expected to expand into northern polar latitudes in the next century. However, the im... more Forests are expected to expand into northern polar latitudes in the next century. However, the impact of forests at high latitudes on climate and terrestrial biogeochemical cycling is poorly understood because such forests cannot be studied in the modern. This study presents forestry and geochemical analyses of three in situ fossil forests from Late Permian strata of Antarctica, which grew at polar latitudes. Stem size measurements and stump spacing measurements indicate significant differences in forest density and canopy structure that are related to the local depositional setting. For forests closest to fluvial systems, tree density appears to decrease as the forests mature, which is the opposite trend of self-thinning observed in modern forests. We speculate that a combination of tree mortality and high disturbance created low-density mature forests without understory vegetation near Late Permian river systems. Stable carbon isotopes measured from permineralized wood in these forests demonstrate two important points: (i) recently developed techniques of high-resolution carbon isotope studies of wood and mummified wood can be applied to permineralized wood, for which much of the original organic matter has been lost and (ii) that the fossil trees maintained a deciduous habit at polar latitudes during the Late Permian. The combination of paleobotanical, sedimentologic, and paleoforestry techniques provides an unrivaled examination of the function of polar forests in deep time; and the carbon isotope geochemistry supplements this work with subannual records of carbon fixation that allows for the quantitative analysis of deciduous versus evergreen habits and environmental parameters, for example, relative humidity.
2008 Joint Meeting of The Geological …, Jan 1, 2008
Fossil wood from the Late Permian and early Middle Triassic of the central Transantarctic Mountai... more Fossil wood from the Late Permian and early Middle Triassic of the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica provides information on a growth environment with no modern analog. This period in Earth's history represents a time of global warming with vegetation ...
Geological Society of America Abstracts with …, Jan 1, 2007
Well-preserved tree rings of mature gymnosperm wood have been found in Late Permian and Middle Tr... more Well-preserved tree rings of mature gymnosperm wood have been found in Late Permian and Middle Triassic peat deposits in the Beardmore Glacier region of Antarctica. This fossil wood is unique in that it represents an environment with no modern analogue, as the trees ...
Earth System Processes 2 (811 August 2005). Paper No. 5-4, Presentation Time: 10:00 AM-10:20 AM.... more Earth System Processes 2 (811 August 2005). Paper No. 5-4, Presentation Time: 10:00 AM-10:20 AM. PERMIAN-TRIASSIC PALEOCLIMATE AT HIGH PALEOLATITUDES IN GONDWANA: TREE RINGS AND FOSSIL FLORAS AS PROXY INDICATORS. ...
Forests are expected to expand into northern polar latitudes in the next century. However, the im... more Forests are expected to expand into northern polar latitudes in the next century. However, the impact of forests at high latitudes on climate and terrestrial biogeochemical cycling is poorly understood because such forests cannot be studied in the modern. This study presents forestry and geochemical analyses of three in situ fossil forests from Late Permian strata of Antarctica, which grew at polar latitudes. Stem size measurements and stump spacing measurements indicate significant differences in forest density and canopy structure that are related to the local depositional setting. For forests closest to fluvial systems, tree density appears to decrease as the forests mature, which is the opposite trend of self-thinning observed in modern forests. We speculate that a combination of tree mortality and high disturbance created low-density mature forests without understory vegetation near Late Permian river systems. Stable carbon isotopes measured from permineralized wood in these forests demonstrate two important points: (i) recently developed techniques of high-resolution carbon isotope studies of wood and mummified wood can be applied to permineralized wood, for which much of the original organic matter has been lost and (ii) that the fossil trees maintained a deciduous habit at polar latitudes during the Late Permian. The combination of paleobotanical, sedimentologic, and paleoforestry techniques provides an unrivaled examination of the function of polar forests in deep time; and the carbon isotope geochemistry supplements this work with subannual records of carbon fixation that allows for the quantitative analysis of deciduous versus evergreen habits and environmental parameters, for example, relative humidity.
2008 Joint Meeting of The Geological …, Jan 1, 2008
Fossil wood from the Late Permian and early Middle Triassic of the central Transantarctic Mountai... more Fossil wood from the Late Permian and early Middle Triassic of the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica provides information on a growth environment with no modern analog. This period in Earth's history represents a time of global warming with vegetation ...
Geological Society of America Abstracts with …, Jan 1, 2007
Well-preserved tree rings of mature gymnosperm wood have been found in Late Permian and Middle Tr... more Well-preserved tree rings of mature gymnosperm wood have been found in Late Permian and Middle Triassic peat deposits in the Beardmore Glacier region of Antarctica. This fossil wood is unique in that it represents an environment with no modern analogue, as the trees ...
Earth System Processes 2 (811 August 2005). Paper No. 5-4, Presentation Time: 10:00 AM-10:20 AM.... more Earth System Processes 2 (811 August 2005). Paper No. 5-4, Presentation Time: 10:00 AM-10:20 AM. PERMIAN-TRIASSIC PALEOCLIMATE AT HIGH PALEOLATITUDES IN GONDWANA: TREE RINGS AND FOSSIL FLORAS AS PROXY INDICATORS. ...
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Papers by Patty Ryberg
forests at high latitudes on climate and terrestrial biogeochemical cycling is poorly understood because such
forests cannot be studied in the modern. This study presents forestry and geochemical analyses of three
in situ fossil forests from Late Permian strata of Antarctica, which grew at polar latitudes. Stem size measurements
and stump spacing measurements indicate significant differences in forest density and canopy
structure that are related to the local depositional setting. For forests closest to fluvial systems, tree density
appears to decrease as the forests mature, which is the opposite trend of self-thinning observed in modern
forests. We speculate that a combination of tree mortality and high disturbance created low-density mature
forests without understory vegetation near Late Permian river systems. Stable carbon isotopes measured
from permineralized wood in these forests demonstrate two important points: (i) recently developed techniques
of high-resolution carbon isotope studies of wood and mummified wood can be applied to permineralized
wood, for which much of the original organic matter has been lost and (ii) that the fossil trees
maintained a deciduous habit at polar latitudes during the Late Permian. The combination of paleobotanical,
sedimentologic, and paleoforestry techniques provides an unrivaled examination of the function of
polar forests in deep time; and the carbon isotope geochemistry supplements this work with subannual
records of carbon fixation that allows for the quantitative analysis of deciduous versus evergreen habits
and environmental parameters, for example, relative humidity.
forests at high latitudes on climate and terrestrial biogeochemical cycling is poorly understood because such
forests cannot be studied in the modern. This study presents forestry and geochemical analyses of three
in situ fossil forests from Late Permian strata of Antarctica, which grew at polar latitudes. Stem size measurements
and stump spacing measurements indicate significant differences in forest density and canopy
structure that are related to the local depositional setting. For forests closest to fluvial systems, tree density
appears to decrease as the forests mature, which is the opposite trend of self-thinning observed in modern
forests. We speculate that a combination of tree mortality and high disturbance created low-density mature
forests without understory vegetation near Late Permian river systems. Stable carbon isotopes measured
from permineralized wood in these forests demonstrate two important points: (i) recently developed techniques
of high-resolution carbon isotope studies of wood and mummified wood can be applied to permineralized
wood, for which much of the original organic matter has been lost and (ii) that the fossil trees
maintained a deciduous habit at polar latitudes during the Late Permian. The combination of paleobotanical,
sedimentologic, and paleoforestry techniques provides an unrivaled examination of the function of
polar forests in deep time; and the carbon isotope geochemistry supplements this work with subannual
records of carbon fixation that allows for the quantitative analysis of deciduous versus evergreen habits
and environmental parameters, for example, relative humidity.