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Impact of sea‐level rise over the last deglacial transition on the strength of the continental shelf CO 2 pump
Author(s) -
Rippeth Tom P.,
Scourse James D.,
Uehara Katsuto,
McKeown Stephanie
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2008gl035880
Subject(s) - continental shelf , geology , oceanography , continental margin , bathymetry , interglacial , ice shelf , glacial period , sea ice , paleontology , cryosphere , tectonics
Although shelf seas account for only 7% of the oceanic surface area, recent observations demonstrate that they host significant ocean‐atmosphere CO 2 fluxes. A mechanism implicated in driving a significant CO 2 sink in the temperate shelf seas is the Continental Shelf Pump. Here we present an analysis of the impact of sea‐level rise, and the consequent flooding of continental shelves, on the growth of the continental shelf CO 2 pump over the last deglacial transition. We combine reconstructions of shelf palaeogeography, bathymetry and tides, with contemporary shelf sea – atmosphere CO 2 flux estimates, to demonstrate the potential of the expanding shelf seas to have impacted on the global carbon cycle, via the continental shelf CO 2 pump, over the past 21,000 years and, by inference, earlier glacial‐interglacial cycles.