Open AccessThe Paleozoic to Mesozoic carbon cycle revisited: The carbon isotopic composition of terrestrial organic matter
Author(s) -
Strauss Harald,
PetersKottig Wolfgang
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.928
H-Index - 136
ISSN - 1525-2027
DOI - 10.1029/2003gc000555
Subject(s) - isotopes of carbon , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , carbon cycle , geology , carbonate , organic matter , carbon fibers , isotope fractionation , earth science , paleontology , total organic carbon , δ13c , fractionation , environmental chemistry , stable isotope ratio , oceanography , chemistry , ecology , climate change , ecosystem , materials science , organic chemistry , composite number , composite material , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
Two thousand one hundred forty‐eight carbon isotope values for terrestrial organic matter (plant fossils, coal, bulk terrestrial organic matter) provide a proxy record for temporal changes in the global carbon cycle. δ 13 C TOM , δ 13 C carb , and δ 13 C CO2 allow a full evaluation of carbon transfer in the atmosphere‐ocean system as well as between the marine and the terrestrial realm. The temporal evolution of δ 13 C TOM parallels respective data sets from marine carbonate carbon, thus reflecting the linkage between both reservoirs via atmospheric carbon dioxide. On the basis of a comparison between measured and predicted isotope records for δ 13 C TOM , changes in the carbon isotopic fractionation associated with plant metabolism are discernible. This contradicts the notion of an invariable carbon isotopic fractionation associated with C 3 plant metabolism. In light of results from current plant growth experiments, these changes are viewed as dependent on the atmospheric O 2 /CO 2 . Hence δ 13 C TOM might serve as a proxy signal for atmospheric composition.