Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments
<p>The biological pump, defined as the marine biological production and sedimentation of particulate organic carbon (POC), is a fundamental process for fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the oceans, transferring carbon away from the atmosphere to the deep ocean, and maintaining the CO<spa...
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Copernicus Publications
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Climate of the Past |
| Online Access: | https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/20/2685/2024/cp-20-2685-2024.pdf |
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| author | M. Lyle A. Olivarez Lyle |
| author_facet | M. Lyle A. Olivarez Lyle |
| author_sort | M. Lyle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The biological pump, defined as the marine biological production and sedimentation of particulate organic carbon (POC), is a fundamental process for fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the oceans, transferring carbon away from the atmosphere to the deep ocean, and maintaining the CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> level of the atmosphere. The level of carbon sequestration caused by the biological pump has varied throughout the last 50 million years, from particularly weak during the warm Eocene period to much stronger during the Holocene. However, persistently warm climates from the more recent past, e.g., the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO; 17 to 13.8 Ma – million years ago), also affected the biological sequestration of carbon. A series of scientific ocean drill sites from the equatorial Pacific exhibit very low percentages of sedimentary POC from the period prior to 14 Ma but show higher and much more variable POC percentages from the period afterwards. Although lower absolute productivity may have contributed to more limited POC burial during the MCO, higher relative POC degradation also occurred. Ratios of POC to other productivity indicators indicate a greater relative loss of POC. Temperature records suggest that higher levels of POC degradation occurred in the upper water column and that global cooling strengthened the biological pump but led to more burial variability. Similar records of low POC levels during the MCO can be found in the North Pacific, suggesting that this was a global – rather than regional – change. A weakened biological pump during warm climate intervals helps to sustain periods of global warmth.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ebd1443501a04136a5a21bfc6de6f85a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1814-9324 1814-9332 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ebd1443501a04136a5a21bfc6de6f85a2025-08-20T02:39:25ZengCopernicus PublicationsClimate of the Past1814-93241814-93322024-12-01202685270010.5194/cp-20-2685-2024Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sedimentsM. Lyle0A. Olivarez Lyle1College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 CEOAS Admin Bldg, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USACollege of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 CEOAS Admin Bldg, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA<p>The biological pump, defined as the marine biological production and sedimentation of particulate organic carbon (POC), is a fundamental process for fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the oceans, transferring carbon away from the atmosphere to the deep ocean, and maintaining the CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> level of the atmosphere. The level of carbon sequestration caused by the biological pump has varied throughout the last 50 million years, from particularly weak during the warm Eocene period to much stronger during the Holocene. However, persistently warm climates from the more recent past, e.g., the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO; 17 to 13.8 Ma – million years ago), also affected the biological sequestration of carbon. A series of scientific ocean drill sites from the equatorial Pacific exhibit very low percentages of sedimentary POC from the period prior to 14 Ma but show higher and much more variable POC percentages from the period afterwards. Although lower absolute productivity may have contributed to more limited POC burial during the MCO, higher relative POC degradation also occurred. Ratios of POC to other productivity indicators indicate a greater relative loss of POC. Temperature records suggest that higher levels of POC degradation occurred in the upper water column and that global cooling strengthened the biological pump but led to more burial variability. Similar records of low POC levels during the MCO can be found in the North Pacific, suggesting that this was a global – rather than regional – change. A weakened biological pump during warm climate intervals helps to sustain periods of global warmth.</p>https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/20/2685/2024/cp-20-2685-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | M. Lyle A. Olivarez Lyle Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments Climate of the Past |
| title | Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments |
| title_full | Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments |
| title_fullStr | Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments |
| title_short | Variations in the biological pump throughout the Miocene: evidence from organic carbon burial in Pacific Ocean sediments |
| title_sort | variations in the biological pump throughout the miocene evidence from organic carbon burial in pacific ocean sediments |
| url | https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/20/2685/2024/cp-20-2685-2024.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mlyle variationsinthebiologicalpumpthroughoutthemioceneevidencefromorganiccarbonburialinpacificoceansediments AT aolivarezlyle variationsinthebiologicalpumpthroughoutthemioceneevidencefromorganiccarbonburialinpacificoceansediments |