Contribution of Southern Ocean surface-water stratification to low atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the last glacial period

Roger François; Mark A. Altabett; Ein Fen Yu; Daniel Mikhail Sigman; Michael P. Bacon; Martin Frank; Gerhard Bohrmann; Gilles Bareille; Laurent D. Labeyrie

doi:10.1038/40073

Contribution of Southern Ocean surface-water stratification to low atmospheric CO₂ concentrations during the last glacial period

Roger François, Mark A. Altabett, Ein Fen Yu, Daniel Mikhail Sigman, Michael P. Bacon, Martin Frank, Gerhard Bohrmann, Gilles Bareille, Laurent D. Labeyrie

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

497 Scopus citations

Abstract

The nitrogen-isotope record preserved in Southern Ocean sediments, along with several geochemical tracers for the settling fluxes of biogenic matter, reveals patterns of past nutrient supply to phytoplankton and surface-water stratification in this oceanic region. Areal averaging of these spatial patterns indicates that reduction of the CO₂ 'leak' from ocean to atmosphere by increased surface-water stratification south of the Polar Front made a greater contribution to the lowering of atmospheric CO₂ concentration during the Last Glacial Maximum than did the increased export of organic carbon from surface to deep waters occurring further north.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	929-935
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nature
Volume	389
Issue number	6654
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/40073
State	Published - 1997

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title = "Contribution of Southern Ocean surface-water stratification to low atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the last glacial period",

abstract = "The nitrogen-isotope record preserved in Southern Ocean sediments, along with several geochemical tracers for the settling fluxes of biogenic matter, reveals patterns of past nutrient supply to phytoplankton and surface-water stratification in this oceanic region. Areal averaging of these spatial patterns indicates that reduction of the CO2 'leak' from ocean to atmosphere by increased surface-water stratification south of the Polar Front made a greater contribution to the lowering of atmospheric CO2 concentration during the Last Glacial Maximum than did the increased export of organic carbon from surface to deep waters occurring further north.",

author = "Roger Fran{\c c}ois and Altabett, {Mark A.} and Yu, {Ein Fen} and Sigman, {Daniel Mikhail} and Bacon, {Michael P.} and Martin Frank and Gerhard Bohrmann and Gilles Bareille and Labeyrie, {Laurent D.}",

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doi = "10.1038/40073",

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AU - François, Roger

AU - Altabett, Mark A.

AU - Yu, Ein Fen

AU - Sigman, Daniel Mikhail

AU - Bacon, Michael P.

AU - Frank, Martin

AU - Bohrmann, Gerhard

AU - Bareille, Gilles

AU - Labeyrie, Laurent D.

PY - 1997

Y1 - 1997

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AB - The nitrogen-isotope record preserved in Southern Ocean sediments, along with several geochemical tracers for the settling fluxes of biogenic matter, reveals patterns of past nutrient supply to phytoplankton and surface-water stratification in this oceanic region. Areal averaging of these spatial patterns indicates that reduction of the CO2 'leak' from ocean to atmosphere by increased surface-water stratification south of the Polar Front made a greater contribution to the lowering of atmospheric CO2 concentration during the Last Glacial Maximum than did the increased export of organic carbon from surface to deep waters occurring further north.

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ER -

Contribution of Southern Ocean surface-water stratification to low atmospheric CO₂ concentrations during the last glacial period

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