Scientists want to know why this croc lost its cool

A new fossil find is raising the thermostat on the Arctic's ancient climate.

A team led by John Tarduno of the University of Rochester, N.Y., has unearthed the remains of nearly 100 million-year-old champsosaurs, related to today's crocodile, on Canada's Axel Heiberg Island, a scant 600 miles from the North Pole.

Fossils have long pointed to warmer polar climates during the Late Cretaceous period, 92 million to 86 million years ago. But the evidence suggests near-freezing temperatures. Because of their similarities to modern crocodiles, fresh-water champsosaurs couldn't have survived if the average annual water temperature fell below 57 degrees F., the team holds.

Scientists are interested in this period for its lessons for the future. Its warmth has been attributed to high levels of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by volcanic activity, making it a lab for studying the effects of increased greenhouse gases on Earth's ecosystems.

You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to Scientists want to know why this croc lost its cool
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0107/p14s2.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us