Carbon Isotope Record Research Articles

Elucidating the relationship between the later Cambrian end-Marjuman extinctions and SPICE Event

The late Cambrian-early Ordovician transition contains several discrete marine extinction events. The first of these extinctions, the end-Marjuman, occurs in two phases and is thought to coincide with the beginning of the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion, or SPICE, a large excursion in the marine carbon isotope record that represents a large perturbation to the carbon cycle during this time. Additionally, the carbon isotope record from the Deadwood Formation in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA, displays a small negative δ13C excursion near the end-Marjuman extinctions. Here we examine the carbon isotope stratigraphy of the Upper Cambrian portion of the Conasauga Group of the Southern Appalachians, USA, to determine the relative timing between the extinction events and changes in the carbon cycle represented by excursions within the carbon isotope record. Previous high-resolution biostratigraphic studies have identified a thick stratigraphic record of end-Marjuman extinctions within the Conasauga Group, making it an excellent target for a high-resolution chemostratigraphic study. In the Conasauga Group, there is no change in carbon isotope stratigraphy across the first phase of the end-Marjuman extinctions, suggesting no major change occurred in the carbon cycle during this time. Further, a negative δ13C excursion is absent in the Conasauga Group across the interval that contains the end-Marjuman extinctions. This suggests that the excursion in the Deadwood Formation is either a local oceanographic signal or a diagenetic feature. Finally, the onset of the SPICE occurs at the same stratigraphic point as the second phase of the end-Marjuman extinctions and at the appearance of a low diversity, potentially low oxygen tolerant, trilobite fauna. The stratigraphic positions of these biological and geochemical events suggest a role for marine anoxia in the second phase of the end-Marjuman extinctions.

An n-alkane and carbon isotope record during the last deglaciation from annually laminated sediment in Lake Xiaolongwan, northeastern China

The last deglaciation is of great interest because Northern Hemisphere climate has gone through several abrupt changes. We present an n-alkane and compound-specific carbon isotope record of the last deglaciation from the annually laminated sedimentary sequence of Lake Xiaolongwan, northeastern China. The n-alkane distribution suggests that the sparsely distributed vegetation prior to 14.7 ka BP, changed to wood plants and aquatic macrophytes in the early Bolling-Allerod, and was followed by a broadleaved deciduous forest after 11.4 ka BP. In this forest region, where the vegetation is dominated by C3 plants, the compound-specific δ13C value of the long-chain n-alkanes (nC27, nC29 and nC31) is interpreted as a proxy of effective precipitation, while temperature might play a minor secondary role. The positive δ13C27–31 values during the Bolling-Allerod suggest a dry-warm climatic condition, while the negative δ13C27–31 at 13.0–11.4 ka BP indicates a cold-wet climate during the Younger Dryas in this region. Two periods with lower δ13C27–31 occurred at 16.1–16.5 and 17.3–17.7 ka BP and could be associated with the Heinrich event-1a and the Heinrich event-1b, respectively. The synchroneity between the biomarker time series in Lake Xiaolongwan and the δ18O record from the Greenland ice core suggest the dominance of high latitude processes on regional monsoon evolution from the last glacial, the Bolling-Allerod, the Younger Dryas to early Holocene. Regionally, the Okhotsk High might have played an important role for abrupt changes during the glacial/interglacial transition.

Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Records from Tridacna derasa Shells: Toward Establishing a Reliable Proxy for Sea Surface Environments.

We report the carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope records of three modern Tridacna derasa shells from Ishigaki-jima, southwestern Japan. The high-resolution δ13C profiles of samples from the inner shell layer on cross-sections fall within similar narrow ranges and display no regular variations or trends, such as an ontogenetic trend or abrupt short-term drops likely to be related to reproductive activity. This suggests that the calcification site of this species is not likely affected by photosynthetic CO2 uptake or CO2 incorporation during respiration. The δ18O profiles show distinct seasonal cycles. The intraspecific variability in the δ18O values is small in parts of the shell precipitated in the adult stage, but is not negligible in the juvenile and senescent stages. The differences in the monthly and seasonally resolved δ18O values among shells are less than 0.51‰ and 0.76‰, respectively. The shell δ18O values are nearly identical or close to the δ18O values for aragonite precipitated in oxygen isotope equilibrium with ambient seawater (δ18OEA). The largest differences between the shell δ18O and δ18OEA values calculated from the monthly and seasonally resolved data correspond to an overestimate of the seawater temperature by as much as 1.7°C and 2.3°C, respectively. However, these differences are smaller in the adult stage (<0.25‰) than in the other stages. This small difference allows an accurate reconstruction of the seawater temperature with an error of <1.1°C. Consequently, we recommend that multiple shell records be obtained because of the non-negligible intraspecific variations in their δ18O values. Growth banding, composed of alternating narrow white bands and wide light-grey bands, is discernible on cross-sections of the inner shell layer. The δ18Oshell data indicate that they were formed in winter and the other seasons, respectively.

Eccentricity and obliquity paced carbon cycling in the Early Triassic and implications for post-extinction ecosystem recovery.

The timing of marine ecosystem recovery following the End Permian Mass Extinction (EPME) remains poorly constrained given the lack of radiometric ages. Here we develop a high-resolution carbonate carbon isotope (δ13Ccarb) record for 3.20 million years of the Olenekian in South China that defines the astronomical time-scale for the critical interval of major evolutionary and oceanic events in the Spathian. δ13Ccarb documents eccentricity modulation of carbon cycling through the period and a strong obliquity signal. A shift in phasing between short and long eccentricity modulation, and amplification of obliquity, is nearly coincident with a 2% decrease in seawater δ13CDIC, the last of a longer-term stepped decrease through the Spathian. The mid-Spathian shift in seawater δ13CDIC to typical thermocline values is interpreted to record a major oceanic reorganization with global climate amelioration. Coincidence of the phasing shift with the first occurrence of marine reptiles (248.81 Ma), suggests that their invasion into the sea and the onset of a complex ecosystem were facilitated by restoration of deep ocean ventilation linked mechanistically to a change in the response of the oceanic carbon reservoir to astronomical forcing. Together these records place the first constraints on the duration of the post-extinction recovery to 3.35 myr.

Astronomical calibration and global correlation of the Santonian (Cretaceous) based on the marine carbon isotope record

AbstractHigh‐resolution records of bulk carbonate carbon isotopes have been generated for the Upper Coniacian to Lower Campanian interval of the sections at Seaford Head (southern England) and Bottaccione (central Italy). An unambiguous stratigraphic correlation is presented for the base and top of the Santonian between the Boreal and Tethyan realms. Orbital forcing of carbon and oxygen isotopes at Seaford Head points to the Boreal Santonian spanning five 405 kyr cycles (Sa1 to Sa5). Correlation of the Seaford Head time scale to that of the Niobrara Formation (Western Interior Basin) permits anchoring these records to the La2011 astronomical solution at the Santonian‐Campanian (Sa/Ca) boundary, which has been recently dated to 84.19 ± 0.38 Ma. Among the five tuning options examined, option 2 places the Sa/Ca at the 84.2 Ma 405 kyr insolation minimum and appears as the most likely. This solution indicates that minima of the 405 kyr filtered output of the resistivity in the Niobrara Formation correlate to 405 kyr insolation minima in the astronomical solution and to maxima in the filtered δ13C of Seaford Head. We suggest that variance in δ13C is driven by climate forcing of the proportions of CaCO3 versus organic carbon burial on land and in oceanic basins. The astronomical calibration generates a 200 kyr mismatch of the Coniacian‐Santonian boundary age between the Boreal Realm in Europe and the Western Interior, due either to diachronism of the lowest occurrence of the inoceramid Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus between the two regions or to remaining uncertainties of radiometric dating and cyclostratigraphic records.

Asynchronous evolution of the isotopic composition and amount of precipitation in north China during the Holocene revealed by a record of compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopes of long-chain n-alkanes from an alpine lake

Both the timing of the maximum East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity in monsoonal China and the environmental significance of the Chinese stalagmite oxygen isotopic record (delta O-18) have been debated. Here, we present a ca. 120-year-resolution compound-specific carbon (delta C-13) and hydrogen (SD) isotopes of terrestrial long-chain n-alkanes extracted from a well-dated sediment core from an alpine lake in north China. Our delta C-13 data, together with previously reported pollen data from a parallel core, demonstrate a humid mid-Holocene from ca. 8-5 ka BP. Assuming that the climatic humidity of north China is an indicator of the EASM intensity, then the maximum EASM intensity occurred in the mid Holocene. Our SD data reveal a similar long-term trend to the delta O-18 record from nearby Lianhua Cave, indicating that the synchronous SD and delta O-18 records faithfully record the SD and delta O-18 of precipitation, respectively. The most negative SD and delta O-18 values occur in t he early-mid Holocene, from ca. 11-5 ka BP. This contrast in the timing of isotopic variations demonstrates a complex relationship between the isotopic composition of precipitation and precipitation amount, or EASM intensity. Further comparisons indicate a possible linkage between the precipitation amount in north China and the west-east thermal gradient in the equatorial Pacific. In addition, the temperature of the moisture source area may play an important role in determining the isotopic composition of precipitation in monsoonal China. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Orbital calibration of the late Campanian carbon isotope event in the North Sea

A new record of carbon isotopes, nannofossil biostratigraphy, gamma-ray and Fe content variations is presented for the upper Campanian of the Adda-3 core, Danish Central Graben, North Sea. The studied interval provides a revision of previously assigned late Coniacian to early Santonian ages. New biostratigraphic data indicate a late Campanian age for the 60 m thick studied interval. The Late Campanian Event (LCE) is well recorded by a 1.5‰ negative excursion in the bulk δ 13 C, along with two stepwise pre-excursion negative shifts (defining the pre-LCE). The amplitude of the LCE appears higher in the North Sea than in other areas as seen from the correlation to Germany, the UK and France. This correlation allows identification of a new 0.4‰ negative excursion (defined as the conica event). Fe and gamma-ray variations are used to calibrate the record with cyclostratigraphy. Fourteen 405 kyr cycles identified in the upper Campanian of Adda-3 can be correlated to North Germany. The compilation of previous results from North Germany and correlation to Adda-3 shows that the Boreal upper Campanian spans a total of 17 cycles each of 405 kyr; that is, 6.885 myr. The duration of the LCE is estimated to be c . 1 myr at Adda-3 and in North Germany. Supplementary materials: Calibration of the HH-XRF data is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2134362 .

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (Early Jurassic) in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: A Reassessment of Age and Carbon Isotope Stratigraphy

AbstractThe Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE) is recorded by the presence of globally distributed marine organic carbon–rich black shales and a negative carbon isotope shift, with δ13Corg values as low as −33‰, interrupting an overarching positive excursion. Here we present new biostratigraphic data and high-resolution δ13Corg data from two Southern Hemisphere localities: Arroyo Serrucho in the north and Arroyo Lapa in the south of the Neuquen Basin, Argentina. Previous studies at these localities aimed to provide an accurate numerical age for the T-OAE and characterization of its carbon isotope stratigraphy. The new carbon isotope data and ammonite biostratigraphy presented here from Arroyo Serrucho show the T-OAE to be recorded lower in the section than supposed by previous authors, thus calling into question the published age of the T-OAE in this section. A newly investigated exposure at Arroyo Lapa North shows a complex carbon isotope record with at least three high-amplitude fluctuations in the h...

Carbon isotope stratigraphy and correlation of depositional sequences in the Upper Ordovician Ely Springs Dolostone, eastern Great Basin, USA

Shallow water carbonate shelf strata of the Ely Springs Dolostone accumulated on the western Laurentian margin as relative sea level fluctuated during the Late Ordovician icehouse. The Ely Springs Dolostone is divided into four upper Katian depositional sequences and one Hirnantian sequence. Here we present new carbon isotope data from the Ely Springs in the context of the sequence stratigraphic architecture. These data derive from a shelf transect of five stratigraphic sections exposed in the eastern Great Basin, USA and provide records of carbon cycling on the Laurentian margin prior to and during the Hirnantian glacial maximum. The δ13C values range between −2‰ and +4‰ at each section, and chemostratigraphic tie points occur in all sections of the transect. Intrabasinal correlations based on the δ13C records are consistent with correlations derived from sequence stratigraphy and conodont biostratigraphy. The Ely Springs Dolostone carbon isotope curve can also be correlated with the late Katian (Cincinnatian) composite derived from epicontinental deposits of the Laurentian midcontinent. The globally documented Hirnantian positive carbon isotope excursion (commonly referred to as “HICE”) occurs within the uppermost depositional sequence immediately below a regional unconformity coinciding with peak glacial conditions on Gondwana. The late Katian Elkhorn and Waynseville δ13C excursions are also present in the Ely Springs Dolostone carbon isotope record. The peak value of the Hirnantian carbon excursion increases from 2.6‰ to 3.8‰ across the shallow shelf and reaches 7.3‰ in coeval limestones of the Hanson Creek Formation deposited in a deep dysoxic setting. This lateral gradient is not the result of changes to the δ13C of weathered carbon supplied by rivers, as previously proposed; it may be instead related to authigenic carbonate cement precipitation during early diagenesis of the Hanson Creek strata. That these pervasively dolomitized shallow water carbonates retain δ13C signatures useful for regional and global stratigraphic correlation indicates that δ13C chemostratigraphy may be an appropriate correlation tool for dolostones with few biostratigraphically useful fossils.

Perturbation of the carbon cycle during the late Pliensbachian – early Toarcian: New insight from high-resolution carbon isotope records in Morocco

Preceding the early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event by ∼1Myr, the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary event is in many aspects as severe and disturbing for the environment as its better-studied successor. Both events are associated with rapid and pronounced global warming, major faunal and floral turnover, increased hydrological cycling and dramatic collapses of carbonate production. To better characterize the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary event, a high-resolution, paired carbonate and organic matter carbon isotope survey of three sections from the Central High Atlas Basin of Morocco has been undertaken. A pronounced negative shift in the carbonate carbon-isotope record, not paralleled by a similar excursion in the organic carbon, can be linked to the collapse of the neritic carbonate factory in the earliest Toarcian. These results show that, contrary to the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, a rapid and massive injection of 13C-depleted carbon into the atmosphere is not responsible for the environmental perturbations observed during the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary event. However, input of isotopically non-depleted carbon such as mantle source CO2 into the atmosphere as a potential cause for the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary event cannot be excluded. This would most probably be sourced from an early pulse of the Karoo–Ferrar Large Igneous Province.

Early Triassic conodonts and carbonate carbon isotope record of the Idrija–Žiri area, Slovenia

The first recovery of the conodont Hindeodus parvus from Žiri (Slovenia) a few years ago highlights this area for Early Triassic biostratigraphical study. Systematic sampling of five sections in the Idrija–Žiri area has yielded the new species Platyvillosus corniger sp. nov. and Neospathodus planus sp. nov. Based on these new species and other conodont elements collected here, nine discrete conodont Unitary Association (UA) zones are proposed for this area. In ascending order they are: Eurygnathodus costatus Zone (UA 1), Eurygnathodus hamadai Zone (UA 2), Foliella gardenae Zone (UA 3), Neospathodus robustus Zone (UA 4), Platyvillosus corniger Zone (UA 5), Platyvillosus regularis Zone (UA 6), Triassospathodus hungaricus Zone (UA 7), Triassospathodus symmetricus Zone (UA 8), and Neospathodus robustispinus Zone (UA 9). The conodont and δ13C data indicate that these conodonts span the Dienerian/Smithian (i.e. Induan/Olenekian) boundary interval to the Spathian, and they also indicate that Triassospathodus hungaricus Zone (UA 7) does not occur at the base of the Spathian. These conodont zones are valuable for stratigraphic correlation within Central and southern Europe, and they also promote a better correlation worldwide. Conodonts in the Idrija–Žiri area were adapted to a shallow-water environment in an epeiric ramp.

Persistent C3 vegetation accompanied Plio-Pleistocene hominin evolution in the Malawi Rift (Chiwondo Beds, Malawi)

The development of East African savannas is crucial for the origin and evolution of early hominins. These ecosystems, however, vary widely in their fraction of woody cover and today range from closed woodland to open grassland savanna. Here, we present the first Plio-Pleistocene long-term carbon isotope (δ13C) record from pedogenic carbonate and Suidae teeth in the southern East African Rift (EAR). These δ13C data from the Chiwondo and Chitimwe Beds (Karonga Basin, Northern Malawi) represent a southern hemisphere record in the EAR, a key region for reconstructing vegetation patterns in today's Zambezian Savanna, and permit correlation with data on the evolution and migration of early hominins in today's Somali-Masai Endemic Zone. The sediments along the northwestern shore of Lake Malawi contain fossils attributed to Homo rudolfensis and Paranthropus boisei. The associated hominin localities (Uraha, Malema) are situated between the well-known hominin bearing sites of the Somali-Masai Endemic Zone in the Eastern Rift and the Highveld Grassland in southern Africa, and fill an important geographical gap for hominin research. Persistent δ13C values around −9‰ from pedogenic carbonate and suid enamel covering the last ∼4.3 Ma indicate a C3-dominated closed environment with regional patches of C4-grasslands in the Karonga Basin. The overall fraction of woody cover of 60–70% reflects significantly higher canopy density in the Malawi Rift than the Eastern Rift through time. The discrepancy between the two savanna types originated in the Late Pliocene, when the Somali-Masai ecosystem started to show increasing evidence for open, C4-dominated landscapes. Based on the Malawi δ13C data, the evolution of savanna ecosystems in Eastern Africa followed different patterns along the north-south extent of the EAR. The appearance of C4-grasses is considered a driver of evolutionary faunal shifts, but despite the difference of ecosystem evolution in the north, similar hominins and suids occurred in both landscapes, pointing to distinct habitat flexibility and also nutritional versatility.

The effect of widespread early aerobic marine ecosystems on methane cycling and the Great Oxidation

The balance of evidence suggests that oxygenic photosynthesis had evolved by 3.0–2.7 Ga, several hundred million years prior to the Great Oxidation ≈2.4 Ga. Previous work has shown that if oxygenic photosynthesis spread globally prior to the Great Oxidation, this could have supported widespread aerobic ecosystems in the surface ocean, without oxidising the atmosphere. Here we use a suite of models to explore the implications for carbon cycling and the Great Oxidation. We find that recycling of oxygen and carbon within early aerobic marine ecosystems would have restricted the balanced fluxes of methane and oxygen escaping from the ocean, lowering the atmospheric concentration of methane in the Great Oxidation transition and its aftermath. This in turn would have minimised any bi-stability of atmospheric oxygen, by weakening a stabilising feedback on oxygen from hydrogen escape to space. The result would have been a more reversible and probably episodic rise of oxygen at the Great Oxidation transition, consistent with existing geochemical evidence. The resulting drop in methane levels to ≈10 ppm is consistent with climate cooling at the time but adds to the puzzle of what kept the rest of the Proterozoic warm. A key test of the scenario of abundant methanotrophy in oxygen oases before the Great Oxidation is its predicted effects on the organic carbon isotope (δ13Corg) record. Our open ocean general circulation model predicts δCorg13≈−30 to −45‰ consistent with most data from 2.65 to 2.45 Ga. However, values of δCorg13≈−50‰ require an extreme scenario such as concentrated methanotroph production where shelf-slope upwelling of methane-rich water met oxic shelf water.

Asian summer monsoon variability during the late glacial and Holocene inferred from the stable carbon isotope record of black carbon in the sediments of Muge Co, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China

A sediment core from an alpine lake (Muge Co) from the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau was analyzed for sediment grain size distribution and the carbon isotopic composition of black carbon in order to reconstruct Asian summer monsoon variability over the last 12 ka. Five major climatic stages were identified: (1) From 12 to 10.5 cal. ka BP, a cold and dry climate prevailed, corresponding to the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic; (2) from 10.5 to 9.2 cal. ka BP, precipitation increased rapidly but was interrupted by a pronounced cold and dry phase at about 10 cal. ka BP; (3) from 9.2 to 6.2 cal. ka BP, the Holocene climatic optimum was reached and maintained; (4) from 6.2 to 2.5 cal. ka BP, the climate gradually became cooler and drier; (5) from 2.5 cal. ka BP to the present, a climatic reversal toward wetter conditions occurred. The trend of our reconstructed Asian summer monsoon precipitation record is similar on orbital and millennium timescales to that of other records from the Asian monsoon region. Although the maximum monsoon intensity recorded in the Muge Co sediments lagged the peak of Northern Hemisphere insolation by ~3.0 ka, the strengthening trend was in phase with the rise in the Western Pacific Warm Pool sea surface temperature. Therefore, we suggest that the tropical ocean temperatures may have been the major driver of Asian summer monsoon precipitation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. In addition, other factors such as sea-level rise and temperature in the North Atlantic region may have played an important role in the evolution of the Asian summer monsoon since the last deglaciation. However, human activity may have affected the monsoon proxies during the last 2.5 ka, and further studies are needed to distinguish the effects of climate and human disturbance.

I-n-Atei palaeolake documents past environmental changes in central Sahara at the time of the “Green Sahara”: Charcoal, carbon isotope and diatom records

During the ‘Green Sahara event’, water bodies developed throughout the Sahara and Sahel, reflecting the enhanced influence of the Atlantic monsoon rainfall. Major lakes then dried out between 6.5 and 3.5ka. This study investigates land cover change and lacustrine environment during the Holocene at I-n-Atei, Southern Algeria, a desert region lying in the hyperarid core of the Sahara. This site is remarkable by its extent (up to 80km2) and by the exceptional preservation and thickness of the lacustrine deposits (7.2m). I-n-Atei was a lake from 11 to 7.4ka, then it dried out and left place to a swampy environment. Charcoal concentrations show that the surroundings of the lake were vegetated throughout the wet period with two short phases of possible vegetation deterioration associated with a lowering of the lake level at 9.3 and 8.2ka, coeval with well-known dry events in the tropics. The stable carbon isotope record reflects the penetration of C4 herbaceous populations in replacement of the original C3, typical of the regional vegetation at the time of the maximum lake expansion. The δ13C of charcoals increase non-linearly with the 14C-based ages from −24.5‰ to −13.0‰ (V-PDB). Assuming that these extreme values sample both C3 and C4 plant end-members, mass balance calculations suggest that C3 were replaced by C4 plants according to an exponential decay law with a half-life (t1/2) of 850±110years. The replacement of C3 by C4 plants occurred in two main steps: a mixed C3–C4 vegetation of “wooded grassland” type was present from 10ka to 8.4ka while a C4 exclusive vegetation developed after 8.4ka. After the end of the lacustrine phase a catastrophic event (flooding?) provoked the lifting of most of the lacustrine deposits and their re-deposition above the lacustrine sequence.

Winter is coming: seasonality of ancient pastoral nomadic practices revealed in the carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic record of Xiongnu caprines

Winter is a challenging time for herders, who must carefully consider both calculable and unpredictable environmental circumstances in order to ensure that their livestock survive the season and retain body condition adequate for the production of offspring and animal products during the rest of the year. Today, pastoral nomads of Inner Asia employ several strategies that serve to alleviate graze shortages associated with the onset of the winter season, including winter pasturing and foddering. However, the emergence of such management strategies in ancient pastoral nomadic communities remains poorly understood. Ancient livestock husbandry practices related to seasonal dietary augmentation are documented here for the first time in an Inner Asian context. Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of incrementally sampled second mandibular molar dentin collagens from caprines recovered from Iron Age Xiongnu (300 bc to 200 ad) contexts in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, reveal patterned intra-tooth isotopic variation, indicating winter provisioning of animals with a fodder source that included C4 plants and pasturing of livestock on winter pastures enriched in 15N by manure. Inter-individual variation in the shape of carbon and nitrogen isotopic curves suggests differences in the timing and intensity of application of fodder provisioning and winter pasturing by Xiongnu pastoralists to different animals. These isotopic data reveal that herding practices focused on promoting livestock survivorship through the harsh winter months were in use by Xiongnu pastoral nomads over 2000 years ago.

Reconstruction of seasonal precipitation in Hawai'i using high-resolution carbon isotope measurements across tree rings

Determination of carbon isotope (δ13C) values of tree-ring tissue is a well-established method to reconstruct past climate variability at annual resolution, but such records are limited in tropical latitudes due to the lack of well-defined annual growth bands. Recent work has demonstrated the potential for high-resolution, intra-ring δ13C records to help define ring boundaries in tropical environments and provide additional climate information at sub-annual resolution. Here we present a high-resolution, intra-ring carbon isotope (δ13C) record of the Hawaiian endemic species Sophora chrysophylla (also known as “māmane”) in order to assess the ability to extract seasonal climate information from these drought tolerant trees. Tree cores were sampled from high-elevation māmane trees growing on the west side of Mauna Kea, Big Island. Across our entire dataset (1986–2008), we identified a notable decreasing linear trend in the δ13C record of 0.061‰/year that can be attributed to changes in the δ13C value of atmospheric CO2 and pCO2 concentration associated with fossil fuel burning. Correcting for these affects yields a nearly flat δ13C record with a slope of −0.0075‰/year, suggesting no long-term trends in climate across the study period. We observe a quasi-periodic change in the δ13C values [Δ(δ13C)] measured within each ring that averages 1.09±0.50‰ (±1σ, n=23) in amplitude. These variations are interpreted as the intra-annual isotopic signal in tree photosynthesis. The δ13C variability correlates with the visible ring structure of the sample, suggesting the presence of annual growth rings at this tropical high elevation site.We applied these data to a model that relates the Δ(δ13C) value to seasonal changes in precipitation in order to reconstruct annual changes in total summer (May through October) and winter (November through April) precipitation at the site. Across the 23-year record (1986–2008; n=579 δ13C measurements), reconstructed values for the ratio of summer to winter precipitation, total summer precipitation, and total winter precipitation correlate well with rainfall data collected from a nearby weather station (r=0.65, 0.36, and 0.70, respectively). These results support application of this model to reconstruct inter-annual changes in seasonal precipitation from long-term tree-ring chronologies. They also demonstrate the potential of using māmane δ13C for future long-term climate reconstructions.

Seawater temperatures and carbon isotope variations in central European basins at the Middle–Late Jurassic transition (Late Callovian–Early Kimmeridgian)

Oxygen and carbon isotope values and elemental ratios of well-preserved belemnite rostra, brachiopod shells and bulk-carbonates from the Upper Callovian–Lower Kimmeridgian of the Polish Jura Chain, Kujawy (Poland) and Swabian Alb (Germany) are investigated to reconstruct environmental conditions and perturbations in the marine carbon cycle. Belemnite δ18O values show relatively constant temperatures (ca. 12°C) of bottom waters in the Polish Jura Chain basin during a major part of the Late Callovian–Middle Oxfordian, except for a short-term cooling (to ca. 9°C) at the Callovian–Oxfordian transition. Belemnite and brachiopod δ18O values show a gradual increase in temperature during the Submediterranean Late Oxfordian; the highest temperatures (ca. 16°C) are calculated for the Submediterranean Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian transition. Belemnite and brachiopod Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios are disregarded as a paleotemperature proxy because of their weak correlation with δ18O values.The belemnite and brachiopod isotope data confirm that the carbon isotope composition of belemnite rostra is affected by a metabolic effect, which results in a depletion of belemnite calcite in the 13C isotope. Belemnite rostra are considered, nevertheless, as a valuable tracer of temporal variations in the carbon isotope composition of marine carbonates. Belemnite δ13C data show the presence of two positive excursions (in the Upper Callovian and the Middle Oxfordian) in the carbon isotope record of peri-Tethyan carbonates. The excursions are divided by a Lower Oxfordian interval characterized by decreased δ13C values. This is most likely a regional feature caused by upwelling. Lowest belemnite and brachiopod δ13C values are observed in the lower part of the Submediterranean Upper Oxfordian and are linked to a well-mixed state of the seawater in the basins studied. The carbon isotope record of bulk carbonates differs from those of belemnites and brachiopods probably because of strong variations in carbonate production in the Polish Jura Chain basin.

Small mammal tooth enamel carbon isotope record of C4 grasses in late Neogene China

The spatiotemporal pattern of the late Cenozoic spread of C4 vegetation is an important indicator of environmental change that is intertwined with the uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau, and the development of the East Asian monsoons. To explore the spread of C4 vegetation in China and shed new light on regional climatic evolution, we measured δ13C values of more than 200 small mammal teeth (primarily rodents and lagomorphs) using a laser ablation isotope ratio mass spectrometry approach. Small mammals are highly sensitive indicators of their environment because they have limited spatial ranges and because they have minimal time-averaging of carbon isotope signatures of dietary components. The specimens originate from four classic Late Miocene fossil localities, Lufeng, Yuanmou, Lingtai, and Ertemte, along a southwest-northeast transect from Yunnan Province to Inner Mongolia. In Yunnan (Lufeng, Yuanmou) and on the Loess Plateau (Lingtai), the small mammal δ13C values record nearly pure C3 ecosystems, and mixed but C3-based ecosystems, respectively, in agreement with previous studies based on carbon isotopes of large herbivores and soil carbonates. In Inner Mongolia, the micromammalian tooth enamel δ13C record picks up the presence of C4 vegetation where large mammal samples do not, indicating a mixed yet C3-dominated ecosystem at ~6Ma. As a whole, the results support a scenario of northward increasing C4 grass abundance in a pattern that mirrors northward decreasing precipitation of the summer monsoon system. The results highlight differences between large and small mammals as indicators of C4 vegetation in ancient ecosystems, particularly the ability of small mammal δ13C values to detect the presence of minor components of the vegetation structure.

Dynamic changes in sulfate sulfur isotopes preceding the Ediacaran Shuram Excursion

Large excursions in δ13C and δ34S are found in sedimentary rocks from the Ediacaran Period that may provide detailed mechanistic information about oxidation of Earth’s surface. However, poor stratigraphic resolution and diagenetic concerns have thus far limited the interpretation of these records. Here, we present a high-resolution record of carbon and sulfur isotopes from the Khufai Formation, leading up to and including the onset of the Shuram carbon isotope excursion. We document large coherent excursions in the sulfur isotope composition and concentration of carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS) that occur both independently and synchronously with the carbon isotope excursion. Isotopic changes appear decoupled from major stratigraphic surfaces and facies changes, suggesting regional or global processes rather than local controls. Our data suggest that very low marine sulfate concentrations are maintained at least through the middle-Khufai Formation and require that the burial fraction of pyrite and the fractionation factor between sulfate and pyrite necessarily change through deposition. Reconciliation of simultaneous, up-section increases in marine sulfate concentration and δ34SCAS requires the introduction of strongly 34S-enriched sulfate, possibly from weathering of Cryogenian and earlier Ediacaran 34S-enriched pyrite. Our analysis of the onset of the Shuram carbon isotope excursion, observed in stratigraphic and lithologic context, is not consistent with diagenetic or authigenic formation mechanisms. Instead, we observe a contemporaneous negative excursion in sulfate δ34S suggesting linked primary perturbations to the carbon and sulfur isotope systems. This work further constrains the size, isotopic composition, and potential input fluxes of the Ediacaran marine sulfate reservoir, placing mechanistic constraints on possible drivers of extreme isotopic perturbations during this critical period in Earth history.