Sea level fall during glaciation stabilized atmospheric CO₂ by enhanced volcanic degassing.

ABSTRACT: Paleo-climate records and geodynamic modelling indicate the existence of complex interactions between glacial sea level changes, volcanic degassing and atmospheric CO₂, which may have modulated the climate system's descent into the last ice age. Between ∼85 and 70 kyr ago, during an interval of decreasing axial tilt, the orbital component in global temperature records gradually declined, while atmospheric CO₂, instead of continuing its long-term correlation with Antarctic temperature, remained relatively stable. Here, based on novel global geodynamic models and the joint interpretation of paleo-proxy data as well as biogeochemical simulations, we show that a sea level fall in this interval caused enhanced pressure-release melting in the uppermost mantle, which may hav

SUBMITTER: Hasenclever J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5504290 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature