Variations in the isotopic composition of carbon in urban atmospheric carbon dioxide

Measurement of the abundance of atmospheric carbon dioxide as an indicator of air pollution has been of very limited value because of variations in urban areas in the substantial concentration of natural carbon dioxide produced from combustion and noncombustion (natural) sources. A solution to this problem is the use of precise isotopic assay of ratios of carbon-13 to carbon-12 in atmospheric carbon dioxide. There is very little variation of carbon isotopic composition in samples taken over rural or urban areas where rapid mixing and diffusion of gaseous combustion products is possible. Significant differences in this composition in samples taken at centrally located points at street level in the lower Manhattan business district show an increase in concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide of roughly 20 percent produced primarily by automobile exhaust.     

Climate change as the dominant control on glacial-interglacial variations in C3 and C4 plant abundance

Although C4 plant expansions have been recognized in the late Miocene, identification of the underlying causes is complicated by the uncertainties associated with estimates of ancient precipitation, temperature, and partial pressure of atmospheric carbon dioxide (PCO2). Here we report the carbon isotopic compositions of leaf wax n-alkanes in lake sediment cores from two sites in Mesoamerica that have experienced contrasting moisture variations since the last glacial maximum. Opposite isotopic trends obtained from these two sites indicate that regional climate exerts a strong control on the relative abundance of C3 and C4 plants and that in the absence of favorable moisture and temperature conditions, low PCO2 alone is insufficient to drive an expansion of C4 plants.     

Oxygen isotope fractionation in the system dolomite-calcite-carbon dioxide

Oxygen isotopes were equilibrated between carbon dioxide and calcite at four temperatures in the range 350 degrees to 610 degrees C and between carbon dioxide and dolomite at 350 degrees and 400 degrees C. Carbon of unusual isotopic composition was used as a tracer to demonstrate the nature and extent of the exchange process. Extrapolation of these data at lower temperatures indicates that at 25 degrees C dolomite is enriched in oxygen-18 by 6.8 per mil with respect to calcite. This result indicates that those natural dolomite-calcite assemblages which show very small fractionations were not formed in isotopic equilibrium.     

Large delta¹³C gradients in the preindustrial North Atlantic revealed

The carbon isotopic composition ((13)C/(12)C, expressed as δ(13)C) of fossil foraminifera is the primary tracer used to infer changes in past ocean ventilation, and its variations are interpreted by using the modern oceanic δ(13)C distribution as a framework. However, the present ocean δ(13)C distribution is strongly overprinted by isotopically light anthropogenic carbon dioxide. A correction for this oceanic C-13 Suess effect in the North Atlantic (NA) shows that the pristine NA δ(13)C distribution has a richer and more detailed structure that is more clearly related to water mass distributions. Our results revise some fundamental perceptions regarding glacial-interglacial ocean δ(13)C differences and allow paleo-δ(13)C variations to be understood within the context of modern climate variability.     

A new method for carbon isotopic analysis of protein

The reaction of ninhydrin with amino acids can be used in carbon isotopic studies of protein. The reaction can be applied to extract as carbon dioxide only peptide-bonded carbon in proteinaceous material, thus avoiding most, if not all, contaminants. Test radiocarbon dates on ancient bone indicate that the method provides reliable ages, and stable carbon isotopic data suggest that our understanding of isotopic dietary reconstruction needs detailed examination. The technique should also be useful in biochemical tracing experiments and in global carbon budget studies, and the underlying principle may be applicable to other isotopes and molecules.     

Preindustrial to modern interdecadal variability in coral reef pH

The oceans are becoming more acidic due to absorption of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems is unclear, but it will likely depend on species adaptability and the rate of change of seawater pH relative to its natural variability. To constrain the natural variability in reef-water pH, we measured boron isotopic compositions in a approximately 300-year-old massive Porites coral from the southwestern Pacific. Large variations in pH are found over approximately 50-year cycles that covary with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation of ocean-atmosphere anomalies, suggesting that natural pH cycles can modulate the impact of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems.     

Diurnal changes in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in coral reef water

Coral reefs are considered to be a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide because of their high calcium carbonate production and low net primary production. This was tested by direct measurement of diurnal changes in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (Pco(co2)) in reef waters during two 3-day periods, one in March 1993 and one in March 1994, on Shiraho reef of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Although the Pco(co2) values in reef waters exhibited large diurnal changes ranging from 160 to 520 microatmospheres, they indicate that the reef flat area is a net sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. This suggests that the net organic production rate of the reef community exceeded its calcium carbonate production rate during the observation periods.     

Glucose naturally labeled with carbon-13: use for metabolic studies in man

The ratio of carbon-13 to carbon-12 is much higher in most commerical preparations of glucose used for oral glucose tolerance tests than it is in carbon dioxide in expired air. This recent discovery provided a novel and potentially significant means of studying glucose metabolism. The changes in the ratio of carbon-13 to carbon-12 in carbon dioxide expired after oral glucose administration were determined by mass spectrometry. In six healthy male volunteers, the administration of glucose resulted in a marked, reproducible rise in the isotopic ratio in expired carbon dioxide; the ratio reached its maximum at 4 hours and then declined progressively.     

Organogenic elements and compounds in surface samples from the sea of tranquillity

Organogenic elements, mainly carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are present in the particulate material and in a breccia rock from Tranquillity Base in amounts ranging from 5 to 4200 parts per million. The major compounds of carbon released by heating are carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; the former predominates. Small amounts of other compounds of carbon have also been observed. Sulfur can be released as hydrogen sulfide by treatment with acid. The carbon isotopic delta(13L)C values are definitely nonterrestrial (+ 13 to + 18.5 per mil).     

Radiocarbon: analysis of inorganic carbon of fossil bone and enamel

Carbon dioxide from calcium carbonate in fossil bone can be selectively separated from carbon dioxide in bone apatite by hydrolyzing the sample first in acetic acid and then in hydrochloric acid. Radiocarbon analyses of the inorganic carbon dioxide in three samples of known age clearly show calcium carbonate in fossil bone to be secondary and the carbonate of bone apatite to be indigenous and suitable for dating in some cases. Agreement between dates on collagen-bone apatite pairs increases the level of confidence.     

Seasonal variations in the stable carbon isotopic signature of biogenic methane in a coastal sediment

Systematic seasonal variations in the stable carbon isotopic signature of methane gas occur in the anoxic sediments of Cape Lookout Bight, a lagoonal basin on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Values for the carbon isotope ratio (delta 13C) of methane range from -57.3 per mil during summer to -68.5 per mil during winter in gas bubbles with an average methane content of 95%. The variations are hypothesized to result from changes in the pathways of microbial methane production and cycling of key substrates including acetate and hydrogen. The use of stable isotopic signatures to investigate the global methane cycle through mass balance calculations, involving various sediment and soil biogenic sources, appears to require seasonally averaged data from individual sites.     

The 1986 lake nyos gas disaster in cameroon, west Africa

The sudden, catastrophic release of gas from Lake Nyos on 21 August 1986 caused the deaths of at least 1700 people in the northwest area of Cameroon, West Africa. Chemical, isotopic, geologic, and medical evidence support the hypotheses that (i) the bulk of gas released was carbon dioxide that had been stored in the lake's hypolimnion, (ii) the victims exposed to the gas cloud died of carbon dioxide asphyxiation, (iii) the carbon dioxide was derived from magmatic sources, and (iv) there was no significant, direct volcanic activity involved. The limnological nature of the gas release suggests that hazardous lakes may be identified and monitored and that the danger of future incidents can be reduced.     

Carbon dioxide and climate: the importance of realistic geography in estimating the transient temperature response

Results obtained from a detailed air-sea-ice climate model for an instantaneous increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide content are used to estimate the transient surface temperature response for several time-dependent carbon dioxide increase scenarios. The inclusion of realistic variations of land fraction and ocean mixing with latitude is found to limit the applicability of steady- state simulations as approximate guides to the actual time-dependent temperature response, particularly when the regional response is considered.     

Carbon dioxide in the ocean surface: the homogeneous buffer factor

The amount of carbon dioxide that can be dissolved in surface seawater depends at least partially on the homogeneous buffer factor, which is a mathematical function of the chemical equilibrium conditions among the various dissolved inorganic species. Because these equilibria are well known, the homogeneous buffer factor is well known. Natural spatial variations depend very systematically on sea surface temperatures, and do not contribute significantly to uncertainties in the present or future carbon dioxide budget.     

Submarine seep of carbon dioxide in norton sound, alaska

Earlier workers have described a submarine gas seep in Norton Sound having an unusual mixture of petroleum-like, low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons. Actually, only about 0.04 percent of the seeping gas is hydrocarbons and 98 percent is carbon dioxide. The isotopic compositions of carbon dioxide (delta(13)C(PDB) = -2.7 per mil) and methane (delta(13)C(PDB) = -36 per mil, where PDB is the Peedee belemnite standard) indicate that geothermal processes are active here.     

Assessment of oceanic productivity with the triple-isotope composition of dissolved oxygen

Plant production in the sea is a primary mechanism of global oxygen formation and carbon fixation. For this reason, and also because the ocean is a major sink for fossil fuel carbon dioxide, much attention has been given to estimating marine primary production. Here, we describe an approach for estimating production of photosynthetic oxygen, based on the isotopic composition of dissolved oxygen of seawater. This method allows the estimation of integrated oceanic productivity on a time scale of weeks.     

Interannual variability in the North Atlantic Ocean carbon sink

The North Atlantic is believed to represent the largest ocean sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in the Northern Hemisphere, yet little is known about its temporal variability. We report an 18-year time series of upper-ocean inorganic carbon observations from the northwestern subtropical North Atlantic near Bermuda that indicates substantial variability in this sink. We deduce that the carbon variability at this site is largely driven by variations in winter mixed-layer depths and by sea surface temperature anomalies. Because these variations tend to occur in a basinwide coordinated pattern associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation, it is plausible that the entire North Atlantic Ocean may vary in concert, resulting in a variability of the strength of the North Atlantic carbon sink of about +/-0.3 petagrams of carbon per year (1 petagram = 10(15) grams) or nearly +/-50%. This extrapolation is supported by basin-wide estimates from atmospheric carbon dioxide inversions.     

Isotopic paleoceanography of the Caribbean and East pacific: role of panama uplift in late neogene time

Comparisons of carbon isotopic data on benthic foraminifera from Deep Sea Drilling Project sites 502 (western Caribbean) and 503 (eastern Pacific) indicate that the difference between the Atlantic and the Pacific in the per mil enrichment in carbon-13 of total dissolved carbon dioxide increased about 6 million years ago and again 3 million years ago, when the difference reached the modern level (1 per mil). Comparisons of planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotopic data for the Caribbean and the Pacific suggest that the salinity of Caribbean surface waters began increasing 4 million years ago, possibly in response to shoaling of the Panama isthmus. These results suggest that modern circulation patterns in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific developed by 3 million years ago in concert with changing tectonic, climatic, and biogeographic patterns.     

Influence of carbonic anhydrase activity in terrestrial vegetation on the 18O content of atmospheric CO2

The oxygen-18 (18O) content of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important indicator of CO2 uptake on land. It has generally been assumed that during photosynthesis, oxygen in CO2 reaches isotopic equilibrium with oxygen in 18O-enriched water in leaves. We show, however, large differences in the activity of carbonic anhydrase (which catalyzes CO2 hydration and 18O exchange in leaves) among major plant groups that cause variations in the extent of 18O equilibrium (theta(eq)). A clear distinction in theta(eq) between C3 trees and shrubs, and C4 grasses makes atmospheric C18OO a potentially sensitive indicator to changes in C3 and C4 productivity. We estimate a global mean theta(eq) value of approximately 0.8, which reasonably reconciles inconsistencies between 18O budgets of atmospheric O2 (Dole effect) and CO2.     

Remobilization in the cratonic lithosphere recorded in polycrystalline diamond

Polycrystalline diamonds (framesites) from the Venetia kimberlite in South Africa contain silicate minerals whose isotopic and trace element characteristics document remobilization of older carbon and silicate components to form the framesites shortly before kimberlite eruption. Chemical variations within the garnets correlate with carbon isotopes in the diamonds, indicating contemporaneous formation. Trace element, radiogenic, and stable isotope variations can be explained by the interaction of eclogites with a carbonatitic melt, derived by remobilization of material that had been stored for a considerable time in the lithosphere. These results indicate more recent formation of diamonds from older materials within the cratonic lithosphere.