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Appy Sluijs investigates the relationship between CO2, the climate and ocean life over the course of the earth’s history. Sluijs recently received the , a prize of 300,000 euros, which he can spend on fundamental scientific research over the next few years.

About 56 million years ago, planet earth underwent a sudden period of intense global warming. In a few thousand years an excessive amount of carbon dioxide was released into the atmosphere, causing an average global temperature increase of about five degrees Celsius.

Similar effects

The Paleocene-Eocene Temperature Maximum (PETM), as this prehistoric heatwave is called, caused dramatic changes on earth. Warming oceans spread themselves at the expense of land, resulting in several plant and animal species left adrift or dying out, while others (such as our own ancestors) were given new opportunities. Today’s greenhouse effect is expected to have similar consequences. 

Fossil traces

Prof. Dr. Appy Sluijs researches rocks taken from deep bore holes in sediment from millions of years ago on the ocean floor. The rocks contain fossils and chemical traces detailing the dramatic changes that took place. Sluijs uses them to reconstruct the interaction between oceans and atmosphere. 

Chain reaction

Sluijs believes that the dramatic peak in temperature 56 million years ago was a result of a chain reaction. According to him, volcanic eruptions caused the temperature on earth to rise, leading to the melting of methane hydrate on the ocean floor. The methane was converted into large amounts of carbon dioxide in the water and in the atmospehere.

It would take a 100,000 years before all of this extra carbon dioxide was settled in the sediments of the earth and for the climate to cool again. 

A natural experiment

Researchers such as Appy Sluijs use the PETM as a natural experiment to predict the possible consequences of global warming today. If we stopped burning coal, oil and gas from now on, how long would it be before global warming comes to an end?

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Appy Sluijs (1980) studied biology and biogeology at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ (UU) and at the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of California in Santa Cruz. After receiving his doctorate degree in paleo-ecology, he became a researcher at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ. In 2014 he was appointed Professor of Paleoceanography. Though a young researcher, he has a remarkable array of frequently cited publications to his name in various journals including Science and Nature. Sluijs previously received a Veni Grant and an ERC Starting Grant of € 1.5 million.

About the Ammodo KNAW Award

The was established to encourage particularly talented researchers in a critical, advanced stage of their academic career. With this award, Ammodo and KNAW also hope to strengthen independent, scientific research in the Netherlands.