Towards a quantitative understanding of the late Neoproterozoic carbon cycle
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Towards a quantitative understanding of the late Neoproterozoic carbon cycle. / Bjerrum, Christian J.; Canfield, Donald Eugene.
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 108, No. 14, 2011, p. 5542-5547.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards a quantitative understanding of the late Neoproterozoic carbon cycle
AU - Bjerrum, Christian J.
AU - Canfield, Donald Eugene
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - The cycles of carbon and oxygen at the Earth surface are intimately linked, where the burial of organic carbon into sediments represents a source of oxygen to the surface environment. This coupling is typically quantified through the isotope records of organic and inorganic carbon. Yet, the late Neoproterozoic Eon, the time when animals first evolved, experienced wild isotope fluctuations which do not conform to our normal understanding of the carbon cycle and carbon-oxygen coupling. We interpret these fluctuations with a new carbon cycle model and demonstrate that all of the main features of the carbonate and organic carbon isotope record can be explained by the release of methane hydrates from an anoxic dissolved organic carbon-rich ocean into an atmosphere containing oxygen levels considerably less than today.
AB - The cycles of carbon and oxygen at the Earth surface are intimately linked, where the burial of organic carbon into sediments represents a source of oxygen to the surface environment. This coupling is typically quantified through the isotope records of organic and inorganic carbon. Yet, the late Neoproterozoic Eon, the time when animals first evolved, experienced wild isotope fluctuations which do not conform to our normal understanding of the carbon cycle and carbon-oxygen coupling. We interpret these fluctuations with a new carbon cycle model and demonstrate that all of the main features of the carbonate and organic carbon isotope record can be explained by the release of methane hydrates from an anoxic dissolved organic carbon-rich ocean into an atmosphere containing oxygen levels considerably less than today.
KW - Faculty of Science
KW - klima
KW - kulstofkredsløb
KW - Neoproterozoikum
KW - metan
KW - livet udvikling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79955020786&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1101755108
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1101755108
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 21422280
AN - SCOPUS:79955020786
VL - 108
SP - 5542
EP - 5547
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
SN - 0027-8424
IS - 14
ER -
ID: 46847646