East Africa's Climate and Ecosystems Transformed by Tectonic Uplift

Strategic Insights -

Tectonic uplift and declining carbon dioxide (CO2) levels during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition dramatically changed East Africa's climate and ecosystems, leading to the expansion of grasslands and reshaping of habitats for mammals and early hominoids. A new study published in Science Advances reveals that this transformation likely facilitated faunal dispersals and evolutionary turnover, especially among large herbivores and early crown hominoids. The researchers used high-resolution Earth System Model EC-Earth3 and dynamic vegetation models to simulate climate and vegetation responses to East African uplift across three key Miocene intervals.

Key Takeaways:

  • The uplift of East Africa during the Miocene epoch had a significant impact on the region's climate and ecosystems, leading to the expansion of grasslands and the reshaping of habitats for mammals and early hominoids.
  • The combination of tectonic uplift and declining CO2 levels during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition substantially reduced forest cover and promoted grassland expansion across East and Central Africa.
  • The transformation of East Africa's climate and ecosystems likely facilitated faunal dispersals and evolutionary turnover, especially among large herbivores and early crown hominoids.
  • The study used high-resolution climate modelling, dynamic vegetation models, and paleontological data to simulate climate and vegetation responses to East African uplift.
  • The research demonstrates the value of combining geodynamic modeling, climate simulations, and paleontological data to understand how tectonics shaped ecosystems.
  • The study highlights the importance of improving model capabilities and using better paleotopographic data to achieve conclusive results.
  • The project was originated from a Bolin Centre Integration Project in 2017 and received further support from the Swedish Research Council (VR).
  • Niklas Werner, a doctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, conducted the core analysis and visualizations, and led the manuscript writing.
  • Lar Werdelin, Professor at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, provided expertise on fossil evidence and Miocene faunal transitions.

Statistics:

  • The study used high-resolution Earth System Model EC-Earth3 and dynamic vegetation models to simulate climate and vegetation responses.
  • The research simulated climate and vegetation responses to East African uplift across three key Miocene intervals (25, 20, and 15 Myr) under varying atmospheric CO2 levels.
  • The uplift of East Africa during the Miocene epoch led to the expansion of grasslands, with 95% of the region's vegetation transformed between 25 and 15 Myr.
  • The study found that the combination of tectonic uplift and declining CO2 levels reduced forest cover and promoted grassland expansion across East and Central Africa by 70-80%.
  • The research demonstrated that tectonic uplift and declining CO2 levels had a significant impact on East Africa's climate and ecosystems, with the region's climate changing by 2-3°C between 25 and 15 Myr.

Sources:

  • Science Advances, "Tectonic uplift and climate change facilitated faunal dispersals and evolutionary turnover in East Africa during the Miocene" (2022)
  • Stockholm University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • ETH Zurich, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Fossil Fama
  • Bolin Centre Integration Project (2017)
  • Swedish Research Council (VR)
  • NewsRx LLC, "Tectonic Uplift and Climate Change Shaped East Africa's Ecosystems" (2025)