1. Loss of carbon from the deep sea since the last glacial maximum
- Author
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Yu, Jimin, Broecker, Wally S., Elderfield, Harry, Jin, Zhangdong, McManus, Jerry, and Zhang, Fei
- Subjects
Carbon dioxide -- Properties ,Carbon dioxide -- Environmental aspects ,Carbon dioxide -- Distribution ,Abyssal zone -- Chemical properties ,Company distribution practices ,Science and technology - Abstract
Deep-ocean carbonate ion concentrations ([C[O.sub.3.sup.2-]]) and carbon isotopic ratios ([delta][sup.13]C) place important constraints on past redistributions of carbon in the ocean-land-atmosphere system and hence provide dues to the causes of atmospheric C02 concentration changes. However, existing deep-sea [C[O.sub.3.sup.2-]] reconstructions conflict with one another, complicating paleoceanographic interpretations. Here, we present deep-sea [C[O.sub.3.sup.2-]] for five cores from the three major oceans quantified using benthic foraminiferal boron/calcium ratios since the last glacial period. Combined benthic [delta][sup.13]C and [C[O.sub.3.sup.2-]] results indicate that deep-sea-released C[O.sub.2] during the early deglacial period (17.5 to 14.5 thousand years ago) was preferentially stored in the atmosphere, whereas during the late deglacial period (14 to 10 thousand years ago), besides contributing to the contemporary atmospheric C[O.sub.2] rise, a substantial portion of C[O.sub.2] released from oceans was absorbed by the terrestrial biosphere. 10.1126/science.1193221
- Published
- 2010
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