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Carbon Cycle: 1985 Glacial to Interglacial Changes in the Operation of the Global Carbon Cycle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Wallace S Broecker  and
Tsung-Hung Peng
Wallace S Broecker
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Palisades, New York 10964
Tsung-Hung Peng
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Palisades, New York 10964
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Abstract

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The hottest topic for those interested in the earth's carbon cycles is the change in atmospheric CO2 content between glacial and interglacial time. What caused it? What is its role in glacial cycles? We evaluate here the hypotheses that have been put forward to explain the CO2 change with evidence from deep sea sediments. We conclude that all the hypotheses have serious drawbacks and that much effort will have to be expended in gathering more data from ice cores and ocean sediments before we will be pointed toward the correct scenario. Also, thoughtful modeling aimed at depicting the ties between pCO2, O2,13C/12C, 14C/12C, and nutrient constituents in the sea for various modes of circulation will have to be done before the evidence from ocean cores can be properly interpreted.

Type
III. The Carbon Cycle
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 28 , Issue 2A , 1986 , pp. 309 - 327
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

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