Mesozoic climates and oceans – a tribute to Hugh Jenkyns and Helmut Weissert

Abstract

AbstractThe study of past greenhouse climate intervals in Earth history, such as the Mesozoic, is an important, relevant and dynamic area of research for many sedimentary geologists, geochemists, palaeontologists and climate modellers. The Mesozoic sedimentary record provides key insights into the mechanics of how the Earth system works under warmer conditions, providing examples of natural climate change and perturbations to ocean chemistry, including anoxia, that are of societal relevance for understanding and contextualizing ongoing and future environmental problems. Furthermore, the deposition of widespread organic‐carbon‐rich sediments (‘black shales’) during the Mesozoic means that this is an era of considerable economic interest. In July 2015, an international group of geoscientists attended a workshop in Ascona, Switzerland, to discuss all aspects of the Mesozoic world and to celebrate the four‐decade‐long contributions made by Hugh Jenkyns (University of Oxford) and Helmut Weissert (ETH Zürich) to our understanding of this fascinating era in Earth history. This volume of Sedimentology arose from that meeting and contains papers inspired by (and co‐authored by!) Hugh and Helmi. Here, a brief introduction to the volume is provided that reviews aspects of Hugh and Helmi's major achievements; contextualizes the papers of the Thematic Issue; and discusses some of the outstanding questions and areas for future research.