PETM Forest Carbon Explorer

Rate, not just magnitude, decides forest fate: 56 Ma PETM vs. Anthropocene

TIMELINE: 0.0 kyr / 6.0 kyr

Global Latitude Cross-Section (90°S — 90°N) Live Biome Status

Atmospheric CO₂ Pulse (Pg C)

Global Temperature Anomaly (°C)

Living Forest Biomass Carbon (Pg C)

Scenario Metrics 0.50 Pg C / yr

+5.2°C

Peak Warming

1240

Carbon Emitted (Pg C)

120 kyr

Recovery Time

Biome Dieback & Loss at Current State

Boreal Forest Loss: 61%

Temperate Forest Loss: 52%

Tropical Forest Loss: 38%

Modern Contrast: Emission rate is ~30× faster than PETM. Rate exceeds biome migration capacity by 1-2 orders of magnitude.

⚙ Biome & Climate Parameters

Biome	Density	Threshold	Recovery
Tropical	15 kg/m²	4.5°C	0.15/kyr
Temperate	10 kg/m²	3.0°C	0.08/kyr
Boreal	8 kg/m²	2.5°C	0.05/kyr

Climate Sensitivity: 3.0°C per CO₂ doubling. Biome dieback front accelerates poleward when thermal velocity exceeds dispersal limits.