ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: The climate of the early Earth was probably very warm and has, in general, reduced since the Archean. However, it now seems that the world is about 0.6°C warmer than it was 100 years ago and estimates of the rate of global warming over the next century range from 0.16°C to 0.35°C per decade. Concurrently, global sea-level is predicted to rise from 2.4 to 10 cm per decade. These rates of change are much faster than those normally associated with the geological record, causing geologists and palaeontologists to reassess their data and their forecasts on rates of future change. With the current interest in global climatic change and, more specifically, with global warming, it is clear that palaeontologists have valuable information to provide on the impacts of past climatic change. This volume contains papers from an international array of such geologists and palaeontologists, showing how studies of micro- and macrofossils, plant and vertebrate fossils from a range of geological ages have contributed to our understanding of how climate affects both local and more widespread areas. The contributions are arranged in geological order, ranging from the Permo-Carboniferous to the post-glacial recovery of the last 18,000 years, with an emphasis on climate change during the last two million years, particularly in NW Europe. Climates: Past and Present will be of interest to palaeontologists, geologists and palaeoclimatologists who specialize in climatic reconstructions and any professionals enagaged in research into the geological aspects of climate change.

Description / Table of Contents: General --- David J. Bottjer, Jennifer K. Schubert, and Mary L. Droser: Comparative evolutionary palaeoecology: assessing the changing ecology of the past / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:1-13, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.01 --- Erle G. Kauffman and Peter J. Harries: The importance of crisis progenitors in recovery from mass extinction / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:15-39, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.02 --- Peter J. Harries, Erle G. Kauffman, and Thor A. Hansen: Models for biotic survival following mass extinction / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:41-60, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.03 --- Valentin A. Krassilov: Recovery as a function of community structure / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:61-63, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.04 --- E. A. Jarzembowski and A. J. Ross: Insect origination and extinction in the Phanerozoic / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:65-78, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.05 --- Palaeozoic --- Andrey Yu. Zhuravlev: Reef ecosytem recovery after the Early Cambrian extinction / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:79-96, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.06 --- F. M. Swain: Ostracode speciation following Middle Ordovician extinction events, north central United States / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:97-104, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.07 --- H. A. Armstrong: Biotic recovery after mass extinction: the role of climate and ocean-state in the post-glacial (Late Ordovician-Early Silurian) recovery of the conodonts / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:105-117, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.08 --- William B. N. Berry: Recovery of post—Late Ordovician extinction graptolites: a western North American perspective / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:119-126, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.09 --- Dimitri Kaljo: Diachronous recovery patterns in Early Silurian corals, graptolites and acritarchs / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:127-133, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.10 --- Petr Čejchan and Jindřich Hladil: Searching for extinction/recovery gradients: the Frasnian-Famennian interval, Mokrá Section, Moravia, central Europe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:135-161, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.11 --- Michael R. House: Juvenile goniatite survival strategies following Devonian extinction events / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:163-185, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.12 --- O. L. Kossovaya: The mid-Carboniferous rugose coral recovery / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:187-199, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.13 --- William A. DiMichele and Tom L. Phillips: Climate change, plant extinctions and vegetational recovery during the Middle-Late Pennsylvanian Transition: the Case of tropical peat-forming environments in North America / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:201-221, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.14 --- Mesozoic --- Douglas H. Erwin and P. Hua-Zhang: Recoveries and Radiations: Gastropods After the Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:223-229, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.15 --- A. Hallam: Recovery of the marine fauna in Europe after the end-Triassic and Early Toarcian mass Extinctions / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:231-236, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.16 --- A. Tewari, M. B. Hart, and M. P. Watkinson: Foraminiferal recovery after the mid-Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) in the Cauvery Basin, southeast India / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:237-244, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.17 --- Danuta Peryt and Marcos Lamolda: Benthonic foraminiferal mass extinction and survival assemblages from the Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary Event in the Menoyo Section, northern Spain / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:245-258, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.18 --- Nataliya A. Tur: Planktonic foraminifera recovery from the Cenomanian-Turonian mass extinction event, northeastern Caucasus / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:259-264, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.19 --- M. B. Hart: Recovery of the food chain after the Late Cenomanian extinction event / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:265-277, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.20 --- M. E. J. Fitzpatrick: Recovery of Turonian dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from the effects of the oceanic anoxic event at the end of the Cenomanian in southern England / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:279-297, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.21 --- Elena A. Yazykova: Post-crisis recovery of Campanian desmoceratacean ammonites from Sakhalin, far east Russia / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:299-307, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.22 --- Carl F. Koch: Latest Cretaceous mollusc species ‘fabric’ of the US Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: a baseline for measuring biotic recovery / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:309-317, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.23 --- Cenozoic --- Eduardo A. M. Koutsoukos: Phenotypic experiments into new pelagic niches in early Danian planktonic foraminifera: aftermath of the K/T boundary event / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:319-335, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.24 --- E. M. Bugrova: Recovery of North Caucasus foraminiferal assemblages after the pre-Danian extinctions / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:337-342, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.25 --- R. P. Speijer and G. J. Van Der Zwaan: Extinction and survivorship of southern Tethyan Benthic foraminifera across the Cretaceous/Palaeogene boundary / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:343-371, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.26 --- Patricia H. Kelley and Thor A. Hansen: Recovery of the naticid gastropod predator-prey system from the Cretaceous-Tertiary and Eocene-Oligocene extinctions / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 102:373-386, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.27