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Foraminifera Trace Anthropogenic CO 2 in the NW Atlantic by 1950
Author(s) -
Mellon Stefanie,
Kienast Markus,
Algar Christopher,
Menocal Peter,
Kienast Stephanie S.,
Marchitto Thomas M.,
Moros Matthias,
Thomas Helmuth
Publication year - 2019
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 - 10.1029/2019gl084965
Subject(s) - foraminifera , oceanography , climate change , environmental science , geology , isotopes of carbon , ocean current , δ13c , total organic carbon , stable isotope ratio , environmental chemistry , chemistry , benthic zone , physics , quantum mechanics
Abstract The Northwest Atlantic is a region of major climate change over the twentieth century, affected by the weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. To assess whether the ability of this region to absorb anthropogenic CO 2 has been impacted by this change, we present the region's first long‐term carbon isotope (δ 13 C) time series of fossil foraminifera spanning the past 4,000 years. These records reveal an unprecedented negative δ 13 C excursion driven by anthropogenic CO 2 penetration into the surface ocean, the “Suess effect” signal. This signal (amplitude −0.45‰) emerges in 1950 CE ± 15 with a decrease rate of 0.009 ± 0.001‰/yr. This marine signal is ~30% of the atmospheric Suess effect and emerges over a century later. Based on current estimates of the ratio of δ 13 C DIC change to dissolved inorganic carbon change and limited constraints on surface ocean residence times, we calculate a mean anthropogenic CO 2 uptake rate of 0.6 ± 0.2 μmol/(kg yr) from 1950 to 2005.

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