Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary
A unique stratigraphic sequence of fossil leaves of Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis (extinct trees of the beech family, Fagaceae) from central Germany has been used to derive an atmospheric pCO2 record with multiple data points spanning the late middle to late Eocene, two sampling levels which may be e...
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Language: | English |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/12/439/2016/ |
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:EnFJdtoZqb8v_scpQybx2 2023-05-15T13:59:26+02:00 Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary Steinthorsdottir, Margret Porter, Amanda S. Holohan, Aidan Kunzmann, Lutz Collinson, Margaret McElwain, Jennifer C. 2018-09-27 https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/12/439/2016/ en eng Copernicus Publications doi:10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 10670/1.2qhn40 1814-9324 1814-9332 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/12/439/2016/ undefined Geographica Helvetica - geography eISSN: 1814-9332 geo envir Text https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_18cf/ Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2018 fttriple https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 2023-01-22T19:13:19Z A unique stratigraphic sequence of fossil leaves of Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis (extinct trees of the beech family, Fagaceae) from central Germany has been used to derive an atmospheric pCO2 record with multiple data points spanning the late middle to late Eocene, two sampling levels which may be earliest Oligocene, and two samples from later in the Oligocene. Using the inverse relationship between the density of stomata and pCO2, we show that pCO2 decreased continuously from the late middle to late Eocene, reaching a relatively stable low value before the end of the Eocene. Based on the subsequent records, pCO2 in parts of the Oligocene was similar to latest Eocene values. These results suggest that a decrease in pCO2 preceded the large shift in marine oxygen isotope records that characterizes the Eocene–Oligocene transition and that when a certain threshold of pCO2 change was crossed, the cumulative effects of this and other factors resulted in rapid temperature decline, ice build up on Antarctica and hence a change of climate mode. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Unknown Climate of the Past 12 2 439 454 |
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geo envir Steinthorsdottir, Margret Porter, Amanda S. Holohan, Aidan Kunzmann, Lutz Collinson, Margaret McElwain, Jennifer C. Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary |
topic_facet |
geo envir |
description |
A unique stratigraphic sequence of fossil leaves of Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis (extinct trees of the beech family, Fagaceae) from central Germany has been used to derive an atmospheric pCO2 record with multiple data points spanning the late middle to late Eocene, two sampling levels which may be earliest Oligocene, and two samples from later in the Oligocene. Using the inverse relationship between the density of stomata and pCO2, we show that pCO2 decreased continuously from the late middle to late Eocene, reaching a relatively stable low value before the end of the Eocene. Based on the subsequent records, pCO2 in parts of the Oligocene was similar to latest Eocene values. These results suggest that a decrease in pCO2 preceded the large shift in marine oxygen isotope records that characterizes the Eocene–Oligocene transition and that when a certain threshold of pCO2 change was crossed, the cumulative effects of this and other factors resulted in rapid temperature decline, ice build up on Antarctica and hence a change of climate mode. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Steinthorsdottir, Margret Porter, Amanda S. Holohan, Aidan Kunzmann, Lutz Collinson, Margaret McElwain, Jennifer C. |
author_facet |
Steinthorsdottir, Margret Porter, Amanda S. Holohan, Aidan Kunzmann, Lutz Collinson, Margaret McElwain, Jennifer C. |
author_sort |
Steinthorsdottir, Margret |
title |
Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary |
title_short |
Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary |
title_full |
Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary |
title_fullStr |
Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary |
title_sort |
fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric co2 prior to the eocene–oligocene boundary |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/12/439/2016/ |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_source |
Geographica Helvetica - geography eISSN: 1814-9332 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 10670/1.2qhn40 1814-9324 1814-9332 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/12/439/2016/ |
op_rights |
undefined |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016 |
container_title |
Climate of the Past |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
439 |
op_container_end_page |
454 |
_version_ |
1766267976820981760 |