Middle Eocene Seawater pH and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentrations

The carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere [measured as the partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 )] affects the content of the surface ocean, which in turn affects seawater pH. The boron isotope composition (δ 11 B) of contemporaneous planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different wate...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Pearson, Paul N., Palmer, Martin R.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1999
Subjects:
Planktonic foraminifera
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.284.5421.1824
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.284.5421.1824
Description
Summary:The carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere [measured as the partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 )] affects the content of the surface ocean, which in turn affects seawater pH. The boron isotope composition (δ 11 B) of contemporaneous planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different water depths can be used to reconstruct the pH-depth profile of ancient seawater. Construction of a pH profile for the middle Eocene tropical Pacific Ocean shows that atmospheric pCO 2 was probably similar to modern concentrations or slightly higher.

Similar Items