The IGCP 679 (2019-2022) is a project approved in February, 2019 and supported by International Geoscience Programme (IGCP).
The Cretaceous was the most recent, warmest period in the Phanerozoic Era, and characterized by more elevated atmospheric CO2 levels and significantly higher global sea levels than today. The proposed project will be based on Earth system science to reveal the Cretaceous 'Greenhouse' Earth's oceanic and terrestrial climates and environmental conditions and their evolution. This will lead to an in-depth understanding of the existing characteristics of rapid climate and environmental changes and global warming. We will explore the processes and mechanisms of the rapid change in climate and environment under greenhouse conditions during the Cretaceous, and the evolutionary responses of biodiversity on land and in the oceans of the Asian continent. Three main topics will be addressed: (1) high-resolution Cretaceous geological records of sea and land facies in Asia; (2) climate and environment; (3) the nature of linkages between major geological events and rapid climate and environmental changes, so as to understand biodiversity evolution under greenhouse climate conditions. These results will provide scientific evidence for human response to contemporary global warming trends. The project will play an important role in promoting geoscience communication among the Asian countries, including some countries outside Asia.