Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation
Global climate and the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are correlated over recent glacial cycles. The combination of processes responsible for a rise in atmospheric CO2 at the last glacial termination (23,000 to 9,000 years ago), however, remains uncertain. Establishing the timing...
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Online Access: | https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/38228/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13799 |
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ftunivnorthumb:oai:nrl.northumbria.ac.uk:38228 2023-05-15T13:56:54+02:00 Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation Marcott, Shaun A. Bauska, Thomas K. Buizert, Christo Steig, Eric J. Rosen, Julia L. Cuffey, Kurt M. Fudge, T. J. Severinghaus, Jeffery P. Ahn, Jinho Kalk, Michael L. McConnell, Joseph R. Sowers, Todd Taylor, Kendrick White, James W. C. Brook, Edward J. 2014-10-29 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/38228/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13799 unknown Nature Publishing Marcott, Shaun A., Bauska, Thomas K., Buizert, Christo, Steig, Eric J., Rosen, Julia L., Cuffey, Kurt M., Fudge, T. J., Severinghaus, Jeffery P., Ahn, Jinho, Kalk, Michael L., McConnell, Joseph R., Sowers, Todd, Taylor, Kendrick, White, James W. C. and Brook, Edward J. (2014) Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation. Nature, 514 (7524). pp. 616-619. ISSN 0028-0836 F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Article PeerReviewed 2014 ftunivnorthumb https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13799 2022-09-25T06:09:19Z Global climate and the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are correlated over recent glacial cycles. The combination of processes responsible for a rise in atmospheric CO2 at the last glacial termination (23,000 to 9,000 years ago), however, remains uncertain. Establishing the timing and rate of CO2 changes in the past provides critical insight into the mechanisms that influence the carbon cycle and helps put present and future anthropogenic emissions in context. Here we present CO2 and methane (CH4) records of the last deglaciation from a new high-accumulation West Antarctic ice core with unprecedented temporal resolution and precise chronology. We show that although low-frequency CO2 variations parallel changes in Antarctic temperature, abrupt CO2 changes occur that have a clear relationship with abrupt climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere. A significant proportion of the direct radiative forcing associated with the rise in atmospheric CO2 occurred in three sudden steps, each of 10 to 15 parts per million. Every step took place in less than two centuries and was followed by no notable change in atmospheric CO2 for about 1,000 to 1,500 years. Slow, millennial-scale ventilation of Southern Ocean CO2-rich, deep-ocean water masses is thought to have been fundamental to the rise in atmospheric CO2 associated with the glacial termination, given the strong covariance of CO2 levels and Antarctic temperatures. Our data establish a contribution from an abrupt, centennial-scale mode of CO2 variability that is not directly related to Antarctic temperature. We suggest that processes operating on centennial timescales, probably involving the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, seem to be influencing global carbon-cycle dynamics and are at present not widely considered in Earth system models. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic ice core Southern Ocean Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) Antarctic Southern Ocean Nature 514 7524 616 619 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnorthumb |
language |
unknown |
topic |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Marcott, Shaun A. Bauska, Thomas K. Buizert, Christo Steig, Eric J. Rosen, Julia L. Cuffey, Kurt M. Fudge, T. J. Severinghaus, Jeffery P. Ahn, Jinho Kalk, Michael L. McConnell, Joseph R. Sowers, Todd Taylor, Kendrick White, James W. C. Brook, Edward J. Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
topic_facet |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
description |
Global climate and the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are correlated over recent glacial cycles. The combination of processes responsible for a rise in atmospheric CO2 at the last glacial termination (23,000 to 9,000 years ago), however, remains uncertain. Establishing the timing and rate of CO2 changes in the past provides critical insight into the mechanisms that influence the carbon cycle and helps put present and future anthropogenic emissions in context. Here we present CO2 and methane (CH4) records of the last deglaciation from a new high-accumulation West Antarctic ice core with unprecedented temporal resolution and precise chronology. We show that although low-frequency CO2 variations parallel changes in Antarctic temperature, abrupt CO2 changes occur that have a clear relationship with abrupt climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere. A significant proportion of the direct radiative forcing associated with the rise in atmospheric CO2 occurred in three sudden steps, each of 10 to 15 parts per million. Every step took place in less than two centuries and was followed by no notable change in atmospheric CO2 for about 1,000 to 1,500 years. Slow, millennial-scale ventilation of Southern Ocean CO2-rich, deep-ocean water masses is thought to have been fundamental to the rise in atmospheric CO2 associated with the glacial termination, given the strong covariance of CO2 levels and Antarctic temperatures. Our data establish a contribution from an abrupt, centennial-scale mode of CO2 variability that is not directly related to Antarctic temperature. We suggest that processes operating on centennial timescales, probably involving the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, seem to be influencing global carbon-cycle dynamics and are at present not widely considered in Earth system models. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Marcott, Shaun A. Bauska, Thomas K. Buizert, Christo Steig, Eric J. Rosen, Julia L. Cuffey, Kurt M. Fudge, T. J. Severinghaus, Jeffery P. Ahn, Jinho Kalk, Michael L. McConnell, Joseph R. Sowers, Todd Taylor, Kendrick White, James W. C. Brook, Edward J. |
author_facet |
Marcott, Shaun A. Bauska, Thomas K. Buizert, Christo Steig, Eric J. Rosen, Julia L. Cuffey, Kurt M. Fudge, T. J. Severinghaus, Jeffery P. Ahn, Jinho Kalk, Michael L. McConnell, Joseph R. Sowers, Todd Taylor, Kendrick White, James W. C. Brook, Edward J. |
author_sort |
Marcott, Shaun A. |
title |
Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
title_short |
Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
title_full |
Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
title_fullStr |
Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
title_sort |
centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation |
publisher |
Nature Publishing |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/38228/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13799 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic ice core Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic ice core Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
Marcott, Shaun A., Bauska, Thomas K., Buizert, Christo, Steig, Eric J., Rosen, Julia L., Cuffey, Kurt M., Fudge, T. J., Severinghaus, Jeffery P., Ahn, Jinho, Kalk, Michael L., McConnell, Joseph R., Sowers, Todd, Taylor, Kendrick, White, James W. C. and Brook, Edward J. (2014) Centennial-scale changes in the global carbon cycle during the last deglaciation. Nature, 514 (7524). pp. 616-619. ISSN 0028-0836 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13799 |
container_title |
Nature |
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514 |
container_issue |
7524 |
container_start_page |
616 |
op_container_end_page |
619 |
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1766264504869453824 |