More efficient North Atlantic carbon pump during the Last Glacial Maximum.

ABSTRACT: During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~20,000 years ago), the global ocean sequestered a large amount of carbon lost from the atmosphere and terrestrial biosphere. Suppressed CO₂ outgassing from the Southern Ocean is the prevailing explanation for this carbon sequestration. By contrast, the North Atlantic Ocean-a major conduit for atmospheric CO₂ transport to the ocean interior via the overturning circulation-has received much less attention. Here we demonstrate that North Atlantic carbon pump efficiency during the LGM was almost doubled relative to the Holocene. This is based on a novel proxy approach to estimate air-sea CO₂ exchange signals using combined carbonate ion and nutrient reconstructions for multiple sediment cores from the North Atlantic. Our d

SUBMITTER: Yu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6520411 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature