Atmospheric carbon dioxide linked with Mesozoic and early Cenozoic climate change

Fletcher, Benjamin J.; Brentnall, Stuart J.; Anderson, C. W.; Berner, Robert A.; Beerling, David J.

doi:10.1038/ngeo.2007.29

Cited by 182 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…However, there is a wide range of estimates for the Eocene (Koch et al, 1992;Sinha and Stott, 1994;Ekart et al, 1999;Greenwood et al, 2003;Royer, 2003;Pagani et al, 2005;Wing et al, 2005;Lowenstein and Demicco, 2006;Fletcher et al, 2008;Zachos et al, 2008;Beerling et al, 2009;Bijl et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2010;Doria et al, 2011;Kato et al, 2011;Maxbauer et al, 2014). Smith et al (2010) reconstructed the value of the early Eocene pCO 2 ranging from 580 ± 40 to 780 ± 50 ppmv using the stomatal ratio method (recent standardization) based on both SI and SD.…”

Section: Paleoclimate Reconstructed Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of late middle Eocene pCO2 based on stomatal density of modern and fossil Nageia leaves

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Atmospheric pCO 2 concentrations have been estimated for intervals of the Eocene using various models and proxy information. Here we reconstruct late middle Eocene (42.0-38.5 Ma) pCO 2 based on the fossil leaves of Nageia maomingensis Jin et Liu collected from the Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province, China. We first determine relationships between atmospheric pCO 2 concentrations, stomatal density (SD) and stomatal index (SI) using "modern" leaves of N. motleyi (Parl.) De Laub, the nearest living species to the Eocene fossils. This work indicates that the SD inversely responds to pCO 2 , while SI has almost no relationship with pCO 2 . Eocene pCO 2 concentrations can be reconstructed based on a regression approach and the stomatal ratio method by using the SD. The first approach gives a pCO 2 of 351.9 ± 6.6 ppmv, whereas the one based on stomatal ratio gives a pCO 2 of 537.5 ± 56.5 ppmv. Here, we explored the potential of N. maomingensis in pCO 2 reconstruction and obtained different results according to different methods, providing a new insight for the reconstruction of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in conifers.

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Section: Paleoclimate Reconstructed Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of late middle Eocene pCO2 based on stomatal density of modern and fossil Nageia leaves

et al. 2016

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“…The CO 2 paleobarometer suggests that ½CO 2 atm values exceeded 3,000 parts per million by volume (ppmV) during Permian (289-251 Ma) and Mesozoic (251-65 Ma) greenhouse climates (5,8,12). However, other ½CO 2 atm proxies, which are either considered to be less reliable at high ½CO 2 atm (stomatal index) or are newly developed and therefore less widely utilized (e.g., fossil bryophytes), typically result in ½CO 2 atm estimates for greenhouse climates that are much lower than estimates from soil carbonate (5,6). The large discrepancy among proxies can be interpreted two ways: 1) large (1,000s of ppmV) variations in ½CO 2 atm occurred over relatively short time periods (in certain cases shorter than the temporal resolution of the proxy records) throughout the Phanerozoic or 2) some of the proxy estimates are inaccurate.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many recent studies indicate that ½CO 2 atm has controlled or strongly amplified Phanerozoic (542 Ma-present) climate variations (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8) and therefore understanding the relationship between ½CO 2 atm and climate over geologic time provides crucial empirical constraints on the magnitude of future global warming (1,9). Estimates of Paleozoic and Mesozoic ½CO 2 atm are largely based on the soil carbonate CO 2 paleobarometer (10), which is the most temporally continuous proxy (indicator) for ½CO 2 atm over the past 400 million years.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric CO₂concentrations during ancient greenhouse climates were similar to those predicted for A.D. 2100

Breecker

Sharp²,

McFadden³

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

189

125

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Quantifying atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (½CO 2 atm ) during Earth's ancient greenhouse episodes is essential for accurately predicting the response of future climate to elevated CO 2 levels. Empirical estimates of ½CO 2 atm during Paleozoic and Mesozoic greenhouse climates are based primarily on the carbon isotope composition of calcium carbonate in fossil soils. We report that greenhouse ½CO 2 atm have been significantly overestimated because previously assumed soil CO 2 concentrations during carbonate formation are too high. More accurate ½CO 2 atm , resulting from better constraints on soil CO 2 , indicate that large (1,000s of ppmV) fluctuations in ½CO 2 atm did not characterize ancient climates and that past greenhouse climates were accompanied by concentrations similar to those projected for A.D. 2100.The anthropogenically driven rise in ½CO 2 atm is well established (1) but its effect on future climate is less certain (2). Many recent studies indicate that ½CO 2 atm has controlled or strongly amplified Phanerozoic (542 Ma-present) climate variations (3-8) and therefore understanding the relationship between ½CO 2 atm and climate over geologic time provides crucial empirical constraints on the magnitude of future global warming (1, 9). Estimates of Paleozoic and Mesozoic ½CO 2 atm are largely based on the soil carbonate CO 2 paleobarometer (10), which is the most temporally continuous proxy (indicator) for ½CO 2 atm over the past 400 million years. The CO 2 paleobarometer is also considered the most reliable provider of ½CO 2 atm estimates for times when ½CO 2 atm was significantly above modern values (11). The CO 2 paleobarometer suggests that ½CO 2 atm values exceeded 3,000 parts per million by volume (ppmV) during Permian (289-251 Ma) and Mesozoic (251-65 Ma) greenhouse climates (5,8,12). However, other ½CO 2 atm proxies, which are either considered to be less reliable at high ½CO 2 atm (stomatal index) or are newly developed and therefore less widely utilized (e.g., fossil bryophytes), typically result in ½CO 2 atm estimates for greenhouse climates that are much lower than estimates from soil carbonate (5, 6). The large discrepancy among proxies can be interpreted two ways: 1) large (1,000s of ppmV) variations in ½CO 2 atm occurred over relatively short time periods (in certain cases shorter than the temporal resolution of the proxy records) throughout the Phanerozoic or 2) some of the proxy estimates are inaccurate. In this study we use data from modern soils and incorporate an improved understanding of pedogenic carbonate formation to recalibrate the CO 2 paleobarometer. We report that the most often quoted ½CO 2 atm values, those previously determined from pedogenic carbonate, are too high, and that paleo ½CO 2 atm values did not persist above 1,500 ppmV during the past 400 million years.Pedogenic (soil) carbonate (calcite, CaCO 3 ) forms in soils where potential evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation, typically in arid to subhumid regions that receive less than 100 cm of rain per year. Ca 2þ ...

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“…2 ] is proposed to have played a key role in driving the evolution of plants since they colonized the land 400 Ma [8 -12]. Estimates of the palaeo-[CO 2 ] record have been generated by modelling the weathering and burial of Ca -Mg silicates and organic carbon [13], as well as a range of proxies including stomatal characteristics of fossil leaves [14] and the stable isotope composition of pedogenic carbonates, marine organic matter and fossil bryophytes [15][16][17][18]. There is significant uncertainty associated with each individual methodology and variation across methods [13,16,19,20].…”

Section: Introduction: Why Take An Evolutionary Perspective?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO ₂ ]

Leakey

Lau

2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Variation in atmospheric [CO 2 ] is a prominent feature of the environmental history over which vascular plants have evolved. Periods of falling and low [CO 2 ] in the palaeo-record appear to have created selective pressure for important adaptations in modern plants. Today, rising [CO 2 ] is a key component of anthropogenic global environmental change that will impact plants and the ecosystem goods and services they deliver. Currently, there is limited evidence that natural plant populations have evolved in response to contemporary increases in [CO 2 ] in ways that increase plant productivity or fitness, and no evidence for incidental breeding of crop varieties to achieve greater yield enhancement from rising [CO 2 ]. Evolutionary responses to elevated [CO 2 ] have been studied by applying selection in controlled environments, quantitative genetics and traitbased approaches. Findings to date suggest that adaptive changes in plant traits in response to future [CO 2 ] will not be consistently observed across species or environments and will not be large in magnitude compared with physiological and ecological responses to future [CO 2 ]. This lack of evidence for strong evolutionary effects of elevated [CO 2 ] is surprising, given the large effects of elevated [CO 2 ] on plant phenotypes. New studies under more stressful, complex environmental conditions associated with climate change may revise this view. Efforts are underway to engineer plants to: (i) overcome the limitations to photosynthesis from today's [CO 2 ] and (ii) benefit maximally from future, greater [CO 2 ]. Targets range in scale from manipulating the function of a single enzyme (e.g. Rubisco) to adding metabolic pathways from bacteria as well as engineering the structural and functional components necessary for C 4 photosynthesis into C 3 leaves. Successfully improving plant performance will depend on combining the knowledge of the evolutionary context, cellular basis and physiological integration of plant responses to varying [CO 2 ].

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Atmospheric carbon dioxide linked with Mesozoic and early Cenozoic climate change

Cited by 182 publications

References 28 publications

Estimates of late middle Eocene <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> based on stomatal density of modern and fossil <i>Nageia</i> leaves

Estimates of late middle Eocene <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> based on stomatal density of modern and fossil <i>Nageia</i> leaves

Atmospheric CO₂concentrations during ancient greenhouse climates were similar to those predicted for A.D. 2100

Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO ₂ ]

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Atmospheric carbon dioxide linked with Mesozoic and early Cenozoic climate change

Cited by 182 publications

References 28 publications

Estimates of late middle Eocene &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; based on stomatal density of modern and fossil &lt;i&gt;Nageia&lt;/i&gt; leaves

Estimates of late middle Eocene &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; based on stomatal density of modern and fossil &lt;i&gt;Nageia&lt;/i&gt; leaves

Atmospheric CO2concentrations during ancient greenhouse climates were similar to those predicted for A.D. 2100

Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO 2 ]

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Estimates of late middle Eocene <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> based on stomatal density of modern and fossil <i>Nageia</i> leaves

Estimates of late middle Eocene <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> based on stomatal density of modern and fossil <i>Nageia</i> leaves

Atmospheric CO₂concentrations during ancient greenhouse climates were similar to those predicted for A.D. 2100

Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO ₂ ]