These data include carbon, oxygen and clumped isotope compositions of shells of natural populations of three land snail species (Clausilia pumila, Succinella oblonga and Trochulus hispidus) across Europe. δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and Δ₄₇ values of snail shells from field-collections were determined in two laboratories (Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, and Geological Institute, ETH Zürich) using IRMS. Detailed analysis and interpretations of the results obtained can be read in the original publication.
These data include site information and collection dates of land snails (Clausilia pumila, Succinella oblonga, Trochulus hispidus), meteorological data of collection sites using the ClimateEU software, as well as carbon, oxygen and clumped isotope compositions of snail shells of the mentioned three species from culturing experiments and natural populations across Europe. During the laboratory experiments at the University of Lodz (Poland) individuals of the three species were kept at 12, 18 and 24 °C temperatures in climate chambers, fed exclusively by fresh lettuce and humidity was controlled using tap water (δ¹⁸O: -9.29 ±0.52 ‰, V-SMOW). δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and Δ₄₇ values of snail shells from lab experiments and field-collections were determined in two laboratories (Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, and Geological Institute, ETH Zürich) using IRMS. Detailed analysis and interpretations of the results obtained can be read in the original publication.
The first table provide data on the meteorological conditions of the sites where land snails were collected, and the calculated stable oxygen isotope compositions of local rainwater.
Earth's climate sensitivity – defined as the temperature increase for a doubling of pCO2 – and the mechanisms responsible for amplification of high latitude warming remain controversial. The latest Paleocene/earliest Eocene (LPEE; 57-55 million years ago) is a time when pCO2 peaked between 1400 and 4000 ppm, which allows us to evaluate the climatic response to high pCO2. Here, we present a reconstruction of continental temperatures and oxygen isotope compositions of precipitation – reflective of specific humidity – based on clumped and oxygen isotope analysis of pedogenic siderites. We show that continental mean annual temperature reached 41 °C in the equatorial tropics, and summer temperatures reached 23 °C in the Arctic. The oxygen isotope compositions of precipitation reveal that compared to the present-day the hot LPEE climate was characterized by an increase in specific humidity and the average residence time of atmospheric moisture and by a decrease in the subtropical-to-polar specific humidity gradient. The global increase in specific humidity reflects the fact that atmospheric vapor content is more sensitive to changes in pCO2 than evaporation and precipitation, resulting in an increase in the residence time of moisture in the atmosphere. Pedogenic siderite data from other super-greenhouse periods support the evidence that the spatial patterns of specific humidity and warmth are related providing new means to evaluate Earth's climate sensitivity.