Carbon cycle change in the Eocene

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Main Authors: Tripati, Aradhna K, Backman, Jan, Elderfield, Henry, Ferretti, Patrizia
Format: Dataset Open Access
Language:en
Published: PANGAEA 2005
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author Tripati, Aradhna K
Backman, Jan
Elderfield, Henry
Ferretti, Patrizia
author_facet Tripati, Aradhna K
Backman, Jan
Elderfield, Henry
Ferretti, Patrizia
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents The transition from the extreme global warmth of the early Eocene 'greenhouse' climate ~55 million years ago to the present glaciated state is one of the most prominent changes in Earth's climatic evolution. It is widely accepted that large ice sheets first appeared on Antarctica ~34 million years ago, coincident with decreasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and a deepening of the calcite compensation depth in the world's oceans, and that glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere began much later, between 10 and 6 million years ago. Here we present records of sediment and foraminiferal geochemistry covering the greenhouse-icehouse climate transition. We report evidence for synchronous deepening and subsequent oscillations in the calcite compensation depth in the tropical Pacific and South Atlantic oceans from ~42 million years ago, with a permanent deepening 34 million years ago. The most prominent variations in the calcite compensation depth coincide with changes in seawater oxygen isotope ratios of up to 1.5 per mil, suggesting a lowering of global sea level through significant storage of ice in both hemispheres by at least 100 to 125 metres. Variations in benthic carbon isotope ratios of up to ~1.4 per mil occurred at the same time, indicating large changes in carbon cycling. We suggest that the greenhouse-icehouse transition was closely coupled to the evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and that negative carbon cycle feedbacks may have prevented the permanent establishment of large ice sheets earlier than 34 million years ago.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_738240
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2005
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle Carbon cycle change in the Eocene
Tripati, Aradhna K
Backman, Jan
Elderfield, Henry
Ferretti, Patrizia
199-1218; 199-1219; COMPCORE; Composite Core; Joides Resolution; Leg199; North Pacific Ocean; Ocean Drilling Program; ODP
The transition from the extreme global warmth of the early Eocene 'greenhouse' climate ~55 million years ago to the present glaciated state is one of the most prominent changes in Earth's climatic evolution. It is widely accepted that large ice sheets first appeared on Antarctica ~34 million years ago, coincident with decreasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and a deepening of the calcite compensation depth in the world's oceans, and that glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere began much later, between 10 and 6 million years ago. Here we present records of sediment and foraminiferal geochemistry covering the greenhouse-icehouse climate transition. We report evidence for synchronous deepening and subsequent oscillations in the calcite compensation depth in the tropical Pacific and South Atlantic oceans from ~42 million years ago, with a permanent deepening 34 million years ago. The most prominent variations in the calcite compensation depth coincide with changes in seawater oxygen isotope ratios of up to 1.5 per mil, suggesting a lowering of global sea level through significant storage of ice in both hemispheres by at least 100 to 125 metres. Variations in benthic carbon isotope ratios of up to ~1.4 per mil occurred at the same time, indicating large changes in carbon cycling. We suggest that the greenhouse-icehouse transition was closely coupled to the evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and that negative carbon cycle feedbacks may have prevented the permanent establishment of large ice sheets earlier than 34 million years ago.
title Carbon cycle change in the Eocene
topic 199-1218; 199-1219; COMPCORE; Composite Core; Joides Resolution; Leg199; North Pacific Ocean; Ocean Drilling Program; ODP
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.738240