Abstract

The amount of CO2 and O2 in the atmosphere over long timescales (>105years) is largely controlled by several key processes. Reconstruction of atmospheric CO2 and O2 in the geologic past can be accomplished either with proxies or by modeling the long-term carbon and sulfur cycles. Application of these two independent approaches yields similar results. CO2 was high during the early Paleozoic (>2000ppm) and parts of the Mesozoic (~1000ppm) but low during the Carboniferous, Permian, and late Cenozoic (<500ppm). These CO2 patterns are strongly coupled to independent evidence for global temperature. O2 records show oscillating values (15–25%) with a distinct peak (>30%) during the Permian. There is a compelling link between this Phanerozoic peak in atmospheric O2 and a concomitant interval of insect gigantism.

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