The polar ocean and glacial cycles in atmospheric CO2 concentration

Daniel Mikhail Sigman; Mathis P. Hain; Gerald H. Haug

doi:10.1038/nature09149

The polar ocean and glacial cycles in atmospheric CO₂ concentration

Daniel Mikhail Sigman, Mathis P. Hain, Gerald H. Haug

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

657 Scopus citations

Abstract

Global climate and the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide (p_co2^atm) are correlated over recent glacial cycles, with lower p_co2^atm during ice ages, but the causes of the p_co2^atm changes are unknown. The modern Southern Ocean releases deeply sequestered CO₂ to the atmosphere. Growing evidence suggests that the Southern Ocean CO₂ leak was stemmed during ice ages, increasing ocean CO₂ storage. Such a change would also have made the global ocean more alkaline, driving additional ocean CO₂ uptake. This explanation for lower ice-age p_co2^atm, if correct, has much to teach us about the controls on current ocean processes.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	47-55
Number of pages	9
Journal	Nature
Volume	466
Issue number	7302
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09149
State	Published - Jul 1 2010

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title = "The polar ocean and glacial cycles in atmospheric CO2 concentration",

abstract = "Global climate and the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pco2atm) are correlated over recent glacial cycles, with lower pco2atm during ice ages, but the causes of the pco2atm changes are unknown. The modern Southern Ocean releases deeply sequestered CO2 to the atmosphere. Growing evidence suggests that the Southern Ocean CO2 leak was stemmed during ice ages, increasing ocean CO2 storage. Such a change would also have made the global ocean more alkaline, driving additional ocean CO2 uptake. This explanation for lower ice-age pco2atm, if correct, has much to teach us about the controls on current ocean processes.",

author = "Sigman, {Daniel Mikhail} and Hain, {Mathis P.} and Haug, {Gerald H.}",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank J. F. Adkins, R. F. Anderson, and J. Lynch-Stieglitz for discussions. Support was provided by the US NSF, the German DFG, the Humboldt and MacArthur Foundations, the Siebel Energy Grand Challenge at Princeton, and O. Happel.",

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AU - Hain, Mathis P.

AU - Haug, Gerald H.

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank J. F. Adkins, R. F. Anderson, and J. Lynch-Stieglitz for discussions. Support was provided by the US NSF, the German DFG, the Humboldt and MacArthur Foundations, the Siebel Energy Grand Challenge at Princeton, and O. Happel.

PY - 2010/7/1

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N2 - Global climate and the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pco2atm) are correlated over recent glacial cycles, with lower pco2atm during ice ages, but the causes of the pco2atm changes are unknown. The modern Southern Ocean releases deeply sequestered CO2 to the atmosphere. Growing evidence suggests that the Southern Ocean CO2 leak was stemmed during ice ages, increasing ocean CO2 storage. Such a change would also have made the global ocean more alkaline, driving additional ocean CO2 uptake. This explanation for lower ice-age pco2atm, if correct, has much to teach us about the controls on current ocean processes.

AB - Global climate and the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pco2atm) are correlated over recent glacial cycles, with lower pco2atm during ice ages, but the causes of the pco2atm changes are unknown. The modern Southern Ocean releases deeply sequestered CO2 to the atmosphere. Growing evidence suggests that the Southern Ocean CO2 leak was stemmed during ice ages, increasing ocean CO2 storage. Such a change would also have made the global ocean more alkaline, driving additional ocean CO2 uptake. This explanation for lower ice-age pco2atm, if correct, has much to teach us about the controls on current ocean processes.

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The polar ocean and glacial cycles in atmospheric CO₂ concentration

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