A diurnal carbon engine explains 13 C-enriched carbonates without increasing the global production of oxygen
Open accessAbstract
Significance: We present stable carbon isotope ( δ 13 C) data from modern carbonate sediment that require a decoupling of the carbon cycles in the global ocean versus shallow carbonate shelves. This realization is important because, for the first 97% of Earth history, many inferences about global paleoclimate and seawater chemistry rely on interpretations of shallow carbonates. We use modern observations and a simple model to show how ordinary diurnal carbon cycling in shallow waters is sufficient to produce anomalously positive δ 13 C on shelves today, and in the geological record. Our results alleviate the need to interpret positive δ 13 C excursions in the geological record as global reorganizations of the carbon cycle and instead link δ 13 C to local and/or global paleoenvironmental and paleoecological controls.
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Anomalously positive carbon isotope records during this time period likely point to high rates of primary productivity.
“Anomalously positive carbon isotope records during this time period-whether they track a local or global signal (Geyman & Maloof 2019, Karhu & Holland 1996)-likely point to high rates of primary productivity.”
From The History of Ocean Oxygenation (2022) · cites this paper as Geyman & Maloof 2019
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Wei, G.-Y., Planavsky, N. J., He, T., Zhang, F., Stockey, R. G., Cole, D. B., Lin, Y.-B., & Ling, H.-F. (2021) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103506 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
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Topper, T., Betts, M. J., Dorjnamjaa, D., Li, G., Li, L., Altanshagai, G., Enkhbaatar, B., & Skovsted, C. B. (2022) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104017 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
- Authors
- Geyman, E. C., & Maloof, A. C.
- Affiliations
- Princeton University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Geyman, Emily C.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2019-11-08
- Volume
- 116
- Issue
- 49
- Pages
- 24433-24439
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC6900632
- OpenAlex
- W2987573093
- Cited by
- 96
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 10
- FWCI
- 7.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (1410317)
- Meadows Foundation
- Geological Society of America
- Princeton University
- High Meadows Foundation
- Evolving Earth Foundation
- Division of Earth Sciences
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Keywords
- stable carbon isotopes, carbonate sediments, ocean carbon cycle, paleoclimate, paleoecology, oxygen production, carbon isotope excursion
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