T1-2 Plate tectonics and polar gateways in the Earth system

The thermohaline ocean circulation is an important component in the global climate system as the ocean currents transport heat and matter around the globe. At large geological timescales, the global circulation is affected by geodynamic processes which control the motions of the lithospheric plates as well as crustal uplift and subsidence. The plate motions have constantly altered the geometries of the ocean basins and distribution of land masses. In particular, the geometries of so-called oceanic gateways - acting as continental bottlenecks in the exchange of water masses between ocean basins - are key parameters in simulating palaeo-ocean current systems and palaeoclimate scenarios. The reconstruction of the past geometries of ocean gateways, basins and their continental margins feeds into numerical models studying the tectonic effect on climate changes.

The session welcomes contributions on tectonic reconstructions during the transition from climatic greenhouse to icehouse conditions from Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic times. Contributions are invited which demonstrate palaeoclimate simulations using a variety of Earth system models designed to evaluate the effect of ocean gateways and basins on palaeo-circulation patterns, the global carbon cycle and nature of polar ice-sheet development.