High-resolution carbon dioxide concentration record 650,000-800,000 years before present
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Material Information

Title:
High-resolution carbon dioxide concentration record 650,000-800,000 years before present
Series Title:
Nature Magazine Volume 453 Letters
Creator:
Dieter Luthi
Martine LeFloch
Bernhard Bereiter
Thomas Blunier
Jean-Marc Barnola
Urs Siegenthaler
Dominique Raynaud
Jean Jouzel
Hubertus Fischer
Kenji Kawamura
Thomas F. Stocker
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Notes

Abstract:
Changes in past atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations can be determined by measuring the composition of air trapped in ice cores from Antarctica. So far, the Antarctic Vostok and EPICA Dome C ice cores have provided a composite record of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over the past 650,000 years1–4. Here we present results of the lowest 200m of the Dome C ice core, extending the record of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by two complete glacial cycles to 800,000 yr before present. From previously published data1–8 and the present work, we find that atmospheric carbon dioxide is strongly correlated with Antarctic temperature throughout eight glacial cycles but with significantly lower concentrations between 650,000 and 750,000 yr before present. Carbon dioxide levels are below 180 parts per million by volume (p.p.m.v.) for a period of 3,000 yr during Marine Isotope Stage 16, possibly reflecting more pronounced oceanic carbon storage. We report the lowest carbon dioxide concentration measured in an ice core, which extends the pre-industrial range of carbon dioxide concentrations during the late Quaternary by about 10 p.p.m.v. to 172–300 p.p.m.v.

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Florida International University
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