Comment on "Atmospheric PCO₂ perturbations associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province"

Schaller et al. (Research Article, 18 March 2011, p. 1404) proposed that carbon dioxide (CO(2)) released by the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province eruptions over periods of about 20,000 years led to substantial increases of up to 2000 parts per million (ppm) in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (PCO(2)) near the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. Use of an atmosphere-ocean model coupled to a carbon-cycle model predicts PCO(2) increases of less than 400 ppm from magmatic volatiles, with only a small climatic impact.     

Multiple microtektite horizons in upper eocene marine sediments: no evidence for mass extinctions

Microtektites have been recovered from three horizons in eight middle Eocene to middle Oligocene marine sediment sequences. Five of these occurrences are coeval and of latest Eocene age (37.5 to 38.0 million years ago); three are coeval and of early late Eocene age (38.5 to 39.5 million years ago); and three are of middle Oligocene age (31 to 32 million years ago). In addition, rare probable microtektites have been found in sediments with ages of about 36.0 to 36.5 million years. The microtektite horizon at 37.5 to 38.0 million years can be correlated with the North American tektite-strewn field, which has a fission track age (minimum) of 34 to 35 million years and a paleomagnetic age of 37.5 to 38.0 million years. There is no evidence for mass faunal extinctions at any of the microtektite horizons. Many of the distinct faunal changes that occurred in the middle Eocene to middle Oligocene can be related to the formation of the Antarctic ice sheet and the associated cooling phenomena and intensification of bottom currents that led to large-scale dissolution of calcium carbonate and erosion, which created areally extensive hiatuses in the deep-sea sediment records. The occurrence of microtektite horizons of several ages and the lack of evidence for faunal extinctions suggest that the effects of extraterrestrial bolide impacts may be unimportant in the biologic realm during middle Eocene to middle Oligocene time.     

Carbon isotope constraints on the deglacial CO₂ rise from ice cores

The stable carbon isotope ratio of atmospheric CO(2) (δ(13)C(atm)) is a key parameter in deciphering past carbon cycle changes. Here we present δ(13)C(atm) data for the past 24,000 years derived from three independent records from two Antarctic ice cores. We conclude that a pronounced 0.3 per mil decrease in δ(13)C(atm) during the early deglaciation can be best explained by upwelling of old, carbon-enriched waters in the Southern Ocean. Later in the deglaciation, regrowth of the terrestrial biosphere, changes in sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation governed the δ(13)C(atm) evolution. During the Last Glacial Maximum, δ(13)C(atm) and atmospheric CO(2) concentration were essentially constant, which suggests that the carbon cycle was in dynamic equilibrium and that the net transfer of carbon to the deep ocean had occurred before then.     

Marked decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations during the Paleogene

The relation between the partial pressure of atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) and Paleogene climate is poorly resolved. We used stable carbon isotopic values of di-unsaturated alkenones extracted from deep sea cores to reconstruct pCO2 from the middle Eocene to the late Oligocene (approximately 45 to 25 million years ago). Our results demonstrate that pCO2 ranged between 1000 to 1500 parts per million by volume in the middle to late Eocene, then decreased in several steps during the Oligocene, and reached modern levels by the latest Oligocene. The fall in pCO2 likely allowed for a critical expansion of ice sheets on Antarctica and promoted conditions that forced the onset of terrestrial C4 photosynthesis.     

Transient Middle Eocene atmospheric CO₂ and temperature variations

The long-term warmth of the Eocene (~56 to 34 million years ago) is commonly associated with elevated partial pressure of atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO(2)). However, a direct relationship between the two has not been established for short-term climate perturbations. We reconstructed changes in both pCO(2) and temperature over an episode of transient global warming called the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO; ~40 million years ago). Organic molecular paleothermometry indicates a warming of southwest Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) by 3° to 6°C. Reconstructions of pCO(2) indicate a concomitant increase by a factor of 2 to 3. The marked consistency between SST and pCO(2) trends during the MECO suggests that elevated pCO(2) played a major role in global warming during the MECO.     

Accretion rate of extraterrestrial matter: iridium deposited 33 to 67 million years ago

Iridium measured in 149 samples of a continuous 9-meter section of Pacific abyssal clay covering the time span 33 to 67 million years ago shows a well-defined peak only at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. In the rest of the section iridium ranges from a minimum concentration near 0.35 nanograms per gram in the Paleocene to a maximum near 1.7 in the Eocene; between 63 and 33 million years ago the mean iridium accumulation rate is approximately 13 nanograms per square centimeter per million years. Correction for terrestrial iridium leads to an extraterrestrial flux of9 +/- 3 nanograms of iridium per square centimeter per million years, and an estimated annual global influx of 78 billion grams of chondritic matter, consistent with recent estimates of the influx of dust, meteorites, and crater-producing bodies with masses ranging from 10(-13) to 10(18 )grams. Combining the recent flux of objects ranging in mass from 10(6) to 10(7) grams with the flux of 10(14) - to 10(15) -gram objects indicates that the number of objects is equal to 0.54 divided by the radius (in kilometers) to the 2.1 power. Periodic comet showers should increase the cometary iridium flux by a factor of 200 to 600 on a time scale of 1 to 3 million years; the predicted iridium maxima (more than 30 times background) are not present in the intervals associated with the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary or the tektiteproducing late Eocene events.     

Food for thought: lower-than-expected crop yield stimulation with rising CO2 concentrations

Model projections suggest that although increased temperature and decreased soil moisture will act to reduce global crop yields by 2050, the direct fertilization effect of rising carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) will offset these losses. The CO2 fertilization factors used in models to project future yields were derived from enclosure studies conducted approximately 20 years ago. Free-air concentration enrichment (FACE) technology has now facilitated large-scale trials of the major grain crops at elevated [CO2] under fully open-air field conditions. In those trials, elevated [CO2] enhanced yield by approximately 50% less than in enclosure studies. This casts serious doubt on projections that rising [CO2] will fully offset losses due to climate change.     

Paleoatmospheric signatures in neogene fossil leaves

An increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) concentration results in a decrease in the number of leaf stomata. This relation is known both from historical observations of vegetation over the past 200 years and from experimental manipulations of microenvironments. Evidence from stomatal frequencies of fossil Quercus petraea leaves indicates that this relation can be applied as a bioindicator for changes in paleoatmospheric CO(2) concentrations during the last 10 million years. The data suggest that late Neogene CO(2) concentrations fluctuated between about 280 and 370 parts per million by volume.     

Atmospheric PCO₂ perturbations associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

The effects of a large igneous province on the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (PCO?) are mostly unknown. In this study, we estimate PCO? from stable isotopic values of pedogenic carbonates interbedded with volcanics of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) in the Newark Basin, eastern North America. We find pre-CAMP PCO? values of ~2000 parts per million (ppm), increasing to ~4400 ppm immediately after the first volcanic unit, followed by a steady decrease toward pre-eruptive levels over the subsequent 300 thousand years, a pattern that is repeated after the second and third flow units. We interpret each PCO? increase as a direct response to magmatic activity (primary outgassing or contact metamorphism). The systematic decreases in PCO? after each magmatic episode probably reflect consumption of atmospheric CO? by weathering of silicates, stimulated by fresh CAMP volcanics.     

Arctic terrestrial biota: paleomagnetic evidence of age disparity with mid-northern latitudes during the late cretaceous and early tertiary

Magnetostratigraphic correlation of the Eureka Sound Formation in the Canadian high Arctic reveals profound difference between the time of appearance of fossil land plants and vertebrates in the Arctic and in mid-northern latitudes. Latest Cretaceous plant fossils in the Arctic predate mid-latitude occurrences by as much as 18 million years, while typical Eocene vertebrate fossils appear some 2 to 4 million years early.     

Pinpointing the source of a lunar meteorite: implications for the evolution of the Moon

The lunar meteorite Sayh al Uhaymir 169 consists of an impact melt breccia extremely enriched with potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus [thorium, 32.7 parts per million (ppm); uranium, 8.6 ppm; potassium oxide, 0.54 weight percent], and adherent regolith. The isotope systematics of the meteorite record four lunar impact events at 3909 +/- 13 million years ago (Ma), approximately 2800 Ma, approximately 200 Ma, and <0.34 Ma, and collision with Earth sometime after 9.7 +/- 1.3 thousand years ago. With these data, we can link the impact-melt breccia to Imbrium and pinpoint the source region of the meteorite to the Lalande impact crater.     

Erratum

In the letter by R. L. Brownell, Jr., and H. Omura (30 May, p. 976), an additional reference [M. Tomita and M. Nishimura, Jpn. J. Hyg. 28, 59 (1973), p. 44] should have been cited at the end of the first sentence of the last paragraph. Two sentences should have followed: "Tomita and Nishimura (1973) reported that the total mercury content of sperm whale meat ranged from 0.54 to 3.69 parts per million (ppm). However, mercury levels in meat from two species of baleen whales examined, sei and minke, were much lower, ranging from 0.04 to 0.12 and 0.15 ppm, respectively."     

不同肥料配比对大花蕙兰“YX52”生长的影响

在同种基质条件下,研究不同肥料配比500mg/kgK2SO4复合肥(处理1)、500mg/kgKH2PO4+1000mg/kgCO(NH2)(2处理2)、500mg/kgK2SO4复合肥+缓释肥(处理3)、500mg/kgKH2PO4+1000mg/kgCO(NH2)2+缓释肥(处理4)对大花蕙兰品种"YX52"(星月)生长的影响。结果表明:处理4对植株营养生长及提高叶绿素含量效果最为显著,处理4与处理3能缓解高温对大花蕙兰植株生长的不利影响。这说明在使用缓释肥基础上,喷施500mg/kgKH2PO4+1000mg/kgCO(NH2)2有利于大花蕙兰的生长,可作为在大花蕙兰生产经营中施肥的辅助措施;500mg/kgK2SO4复合肥与500mg/kgKH2PO4+1000mg/kgCO(NH2)2由于营养元素单调,不能满足大花蕙兰生长所需的养分;而500mg/kgK2SO4复合肥+缓释肥不能用于生产。     

Decoupled plant and insect diversity after the end-Cretaceous extinction

Food web recovery from mass extinction is poorly understood. We analyzed insect-feeding damage on 14,999 angiosperm leaves from 14 latest Cretaceous, Paleocene, and early Eocene sites in the western interior United States. Most Paleocene floras have low richness of plants and of insect damage. However, a low-diversity 64.4-million-year-old flora from southeastern Montana shows extremely high insect damage richness, especially of leaf mining, whereas an anomalously diverse 63.8-million-year-old flora from the Denver Basin shows little damage and virtually no specialized feeding. These findings reveal severely unbalanced food webs 1 to 2 million years after the end-Cretaceous extinction 65.5 million years ago.     

Sea-floor spreading, carbonate dissolution level, and the nature of horizon a

Evidence from leg 2 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project suggests a constant spreading rate for the floor of the North Atlantic over the past 80 million years; a major lowering of the carbonate dissolution level during the early Pliocene; and an early to middle Eocene age for horizon A.     

大气CO2浓度和温度升高对水稻体内微量元素累积的影响

为明确水稻体内微量元素对未来气候变化的响应,应用T-FACE(Temperature and CO_2Free Air Controlled Enrichment)试验平台,以常规粳稻武运粳23为试材,研究大气CO_2浓度升高(对照+200μL·L~(-1))和增温(对照+1℃)对收获期水稻体内微量元素累积的影响。结果显示,高浓度CO_2促进了稻穗中微量元素的累积,2013年穗中Fe和2014年穗中Zn的累积量分别显著增加16.7%和30.8%;增温降低了水稻器官中元素的累积量,2013年穗中Fe以及叶中Mn和Zn的累积量显著下降,降幅分别为30.2%、40.2%和57.3%;CO_2+温度整体降低了营养器官中Fe、Mn和Zn的累积量,2013年叶中Zn累积量显著减少40.0%。另外,高浓度CO_2降低了籽粒中Fe的累积量,2013年Fe累积量显著下降47.5%,同时提高了Mn与Zn的累积量,2014年Zn累积量显著增加43.4%;增温明显降低了籽粒中Fe、Mn和Zn的累积量;CO_2+温度有降低籽粒中元素累积量的趋势,其中2013年降幅大于2014年。以上结果表明未来CO_2浓度升高可在一定程度上缓解增温导致的水稻体内微量元素累积下降的状况。     

The effects of enriched carbon dioxide atmospheres on plant--insect herbivore interactions

Little is known about the effects of enriched CO(2) atmospheres, which may exist in the next century, on natural plant-insect herbivore interactions. Larvae of a specialist insect herbivore, Junonia coenia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), were reared on one of its host plants, Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae), grown in either current low (350 parts per million) or high (700 ppm) CO(2) environments. Those larvae raised on high-CO(2) foliage grew more slowly and experienced greater mortality, especially in early instars, than those raised on low-CO(2) foliage. Poor larval performance on high-CO(2) foliage was probably due to the reduced foliar water and nitrogen concentrations of those plants and not to changes in the concentration of the defensive compounds, iridoid glycosides. Adult pupal weight and female fecundity were not affected by the CO(2) environment of the host plant. These results indicate that interactions between plants and herbivorous insects will be modified under the predicted CO(2) conditions of the 21st century.     

Southern hemisphere origin of the cretaceous laytonville limestone of california

New paleomagnetic, paleontologic, and stratigraphic data from outcrops of the Laytonville Limestone (101 to 88 million years old) support a Southern Hemisphere origin. A paleomagnetic megaconglomerate test is statistically significant and suggests magnetization at 14 degrees +/- 5 degrees south, predating Late Cretaceous to Eocene (70 to 50 million years ago) accretion. Rapid Kula plate movement or the existence and demise of a now vanished oceanic plate (or both) are required to accommodate the greater than 50 degrees of poleward displacement implied by the paleomagnetic data. This rapid motion brings into question the validity of a "speed limit" for absolute plate velocity based on present-day plate motions.     

The role of carbon dioxide during the onset of Antarctic glaciation

Earth's modern climate, characterized by polar ice sheets and large equator-to-pole temperature gradients, is rooted in environmental changes that promoted Antarctic glaciation ~33.7 million years ago. Onset of Antarctic glaciation reflects a critical tipping point for Earth's climate and provides a framework for investigating the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) during major climatic change. Previously published records of alkenone-based CO(2) from high- and low-latitude ocean localities suggested that CO(2) increased during glaciation, in contradiction to theory. Here, we further investigate alkenone records and demonstrate that Antarctic and subantarctic data overestimate atmospheric CO(2) levels, biasing long-term trends. Our results show that CO(2) declined before and during Antarctic glaciation and support a substantial CO(2) decrease as the primary agent forcing Antarctic glaciation, consistent with model-derived CO(2) thresholds.     

Leaf photosynthesis and yield components of mung bean under fully open-air elevated[CO_2]

Mung bean(Vigna radiata L.) has the potential to establish symbiosis with rhizobia,and symbiotic association of soil micro flora may facilitate the photosynthesis and plant growth response to elevated[CO_2].Mung bean was grown at either ambient CO_2 400 μmol mol~(-1) or[CO_2]((550+17) μmol mol~(-1)) under free air carbon dioxide enrichment(FACE) experimental facility in North China.Elevated[CO_2]increased net photosynthetic rate(P_n),water use efficiency(WUE) and the non-photochemical quenching(NPQ) of upper most fully-expanded leaves,but decreased stomatal conductance(G_s),intrinsic efficiency of PSII(F_v '/F_m'),quantum yield of PSII(φ_(PSll)) and proportion of open PSII reaction centers(q_p).At elevated[CO_2],the decrease of F_v'/F_m',φ_(PSII),q_p at the bloom stage were smaller than that at the pod stage.On the other hand,P_n was increased at elevated[CO_2]by 18.7 and 7.4%at full bloom(R2) and pod maturity stages(R4),respectively.From these findings,we concluded that as a legume despite greater nutrient supply to the carbon assimilation at elevated[CO_2],photosynthetic capacity of mung bean was still suppressed under elevated[CO_2]particularly at pod maturity stage but plant biomass and yield was increased by 11.6 and 14.2%,respectively.Further,these findings suggest that even under higher nutrient acquisition systems such as legumes,nutrient assimilation does not match carbon assimilation under elevated[CO_2]and leads photosynthesis down-regulation to elevated[CO_2].