A Tortonian (Late Miocene, 11.61-7.25Â Ma) global vegetation reconstruction

► We merged a global Tortonian palaeobotanical dataset with the output from a GCM. ► This created a hybrid Tortonian global vegetation distribution map. ► The distribution of vegetation shows the Tortonian was warmer and wetter. ► The change in climate suggests a global forcing agent such as CO2. ► The majority of Tortonian CO2 estimates do not show any evidence for increased CO2.