949 / 2024-09-19 21:47:23
Impact of orbitally forced peatland dynamics on atmospheric CO2 concentration in the Mid-Jurassic
Peat,jurassic,Orbital cycles
Session 42 - Deep-time ocean and climate changes: insights from models and proxies
Abstract Accepted
The Jurassic greenhouse period was marked by generally high atmospheric pCO2 and frequent perturbations of the global carbon cycle. As a significant terrestrial sink for organic carbon, coal accumulation dynamics during this period can be a major contributor to the global carbon cycle. However, there is still limited understanding of the causal relationship between climate, peatland dynamics, and atmospheric pCO2 fluctuations during the Jurassic. Here we present a ~ 2.2-Myr-long high-resolution reconstruction of atmospheric pCO2 in the Aalenian using δ13C of fossil C3 plants preserved in sediments from the Ordos Basin, North China. We show an apparent correspondence between periodic pCO2 changes and the waxing and waning of mid-latitude peatlands at 405-kyr eccentricity cycles, correlating with δ13C shifts in both marine and terrestrial realms. Mass balance calculations show that the estimated organic carbon storage of ~1540 Gt in Ordos Basin peatlands alone during eccentricity minima would have reduced ~50% of the reconstructed global pCO2 drawdown and accounted for ~25% of marine δ13C positive excursion. Our results suggest that climate-driven peatland dynamics and organic carbon burial at Earth’s surface might have played a major role in the global carbon cycle during the Middle Jurassic greenhouse world.