Glacial to Interglacial Changes in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: The Critical Role of Ocean Surface Water in High Latitudes
2011; American Geophysical Union; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1029/gm032p0163
ISSN2328-8779
AutoresJ. R. Toggweiler, Jorge L. Sarmiento,
Tópico(s)Marine and coastal ecosystems
ResumoGlacial to Interglacial Changes in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: The Critical Role of Ocean Surface Water in High Latitudes J. R. Toggweiler, J. R. Toggweiler Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08542Search for more papers by this authorJ. L. Sarmiento, J. L. Sarmiento Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08542Search for more papers by this author J. R. Toggweiler, J. R. Toggweiler Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08542Search for more papers by this authorJ. L. Sarmiento, J. L. Sarmiento Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08542Search for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):E.T. Sundquist, E.T. SundquistSearch for more papers by this authorW.S. Broecker, W.S. BroeckerSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 January 1985 https://doi.org/10.1029/GM032p0163Citations: 85Book Series:Geophysical Monograph Series AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Summary Recent measurements of the CO2 content of air bubbles trapped in glacial ice have shown that the partial pressure of atmospheric CO2 during the last ice age was about 70 ppm lower than during the interglacial. Isotopic measurements on surface- and bottom-dwelling forams living during the ice age have shown that the 13C/12C gradient between the ocean's surface and bottom layers was 25% larger during the last ice age than at present. Broecker (1982) proposed that an increase in the phosphate content of the deep sea could explain these observations. We follow up here on a proposal by Sarmiento and Toggweiler (1984) that glacial to interglacial changes in PCO 2 are related to changes in the nutrient content of high-latitude surface water. We develop a four-box model of the ocean and atmosphere which includes low- and high-latitude surface boxes, an atmosphere, and a deep ocean. In simplest form the model equations show that the CO2 content of high-latitude surface water is directly connected to the huge reservoir of CO2 in deep water through the nutrient content of high-latitude surface water. The relationship between the CO2 content of low latitude surface water and the deep sea is more indirect and depends to a large extent on transport of CO2 through the atmosphere from high latitudes. We illustrate how the 14C content of the atmosphere and that of high-latitude surface water constrain model solutions for the present ocean and how ice age 13C observations constrain ice age parameters. 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