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Atmosphere‐Ocean CO 2 Exchange Across the Last Deglaciation From the Boron Isotope Proxy
Author(s) -
Shao Jun,
Stott Lowell D.,
Gray William R.,
Greenop Rosanna,
Pecher Ingo,
Neil Helen L.,
Coffin Richard B.,
Davy Bryan,
Rae James W.B.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
paleoceanography and paleoclimatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.927
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 2572-4525
pISSN - 2572-4517
DOI - 10.1029/2018pa003498
Subject(s) - deglaciation , geology , downwelling , glacial period , last glacial maximum , upwelling , outgassing , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , carbon cycle , atmosphere (unit) , oceanography , radiocarbon dating , isotopes of carbon , isotopes of boron , ice core , holocene , earth science , climate change , boron , paleontology , chemistry , total organic carbon , ecosystem , meteorology , geography , environmental chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry , biology
Identifying processes within the Earth System that have modulated atmospheric pCO 2 during each glacial cycle of the late Pleistocene stands as one of the grand challenges in climate science. The growing array of surface ocean pH estimates from the boron isotope proxy across the last glacial termination may reveal regions of the ocean that influenced the timing and magnitude of pCO 2 rise. Here we present two new boron isotope records from the subtropical‐subpolar transition zone of the Southwest Pacific that span the last 20 kyr, as well as new radiocarbon data from the same cores. The new data suggest this region was a source of carbon to the atmosphere rather than a moderate sink as it is today. Significantly higher outgassing is observed between ~16.5 and 14 kyr BP, associated with increasing δ 13 C and [CO 3 ] 2− at depth, suggesting loss of carbon from the intermediate ocean to the atmosphere. We use these new boron isotope records together with existing records to build a composite pH/pCO 2 curve for the surface oceans. The pH disequilibrium/CO 2 outgassing was widespread throughout the last deglaciation, likely explained by upwelling of CO 2 from the deep/intermediate ocean. During the Holocene, a smaller outgassing peak is observed at a time of relatively stable atmospheric CO 2 , which may be explained by regrowth of the terrestrial biosphere countering ocean CO 2 release. Our stack is likely biased toward upwelling/CO 2 source regions. Nevertheless, the composite pCO 2 curve provides robust evidence that various parts of the ocean were releasing CO 2 to the atmosphere over the last 25 kyr.