Article (Scientific journals)
Coupled modeling of global carbon cycle and climate in the Neoproterozoic: links between Rodinia breakup and major glaciations
Godderis, Yves; Donnadieu, Yannick; Dessert, Celine et al.
2007In Comptes Rendus Geoscience, 339 (3-4), p. 212-222
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Keywords :
carbon cycle; climates; neoproterozoic; Rodinia carbon; numerical modeling
Abstract :
[en] A coupled climate-geochemical model of new generation (GEOCLIM) is used to investigate the possible causes of the initiation of snowball glaciations during Neoproterozoic times. This model allows the calculation of the partial pressure of atmospheric CO2 simultaneously with the climate at the continental surface with a rough 2D spatial resolution (10 degrees lat. x 50 degrees long.). We calculate that the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, starting 800 Myr ago, results in a global climatic cooling of about 8 degrees C triggered by enhanced consumption of atmospheric CO2 resulting from increased runoff over continental surfaces. This increase in runoff is driven by the opening of oceanic basins resulting in an increase of soil moisture sources close to continental masses. This climatic effect of the supercontinent breakup is particularly strong within the 800-700 Ma interval since all continents are located in the equatorial area, where temperature and runoff conditions optimize the consumption of CO2 through weathering processes. However, this effect alone is insufficient to trigger snowball. We propose that the efficient weathering of fresh basaltic surfaces that erupted during the Rodinia breakup, and were transported to the humid equatorial area through continental plate motion, contributed the necessary CO2 sink that triggered the ca. 730-Ma Sturtian glacial event. Simulations of the GEOCLIM model for the ca 580-Ma Gaskiers ice age, where all continents are centered on the South Pole, shows that no snowball glaciation can be initiated. The calculated CO2 partial pressure remains above 1000 ppmv, while a threshold of less than 80 ppmv is required to initiate a snowball glaciation. At that time, a polar configuration does not allow the onset of total glaciation. Nevertheless, a regional glaciation is simulated by the GEOCLIM when the climatic and geochemical (i.e. weathering related) effects of the Pan-African orogeny (similar to 600 Ma) are taken into account. Finally, the question of the role of the paleogeographic setting in the Marinoan snowball event (similar to 635 Ma) is still an open question, since no reliable Marinoan paleogeographic reconstruction exists due to the paucity of paleomagnetic data.
Disciplines :
Physical, chemical, mathematical & earth Sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Godderis, Yves;  CNRS/Université Paul-Sabatier > LMTG, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
Donnadieu, Yannick;  CNRS/CEA > LSCE
Dessert, Celine;  University of Cambridge, UK > Department of Earth Sciences
Dupre, Bernard;  CNRS/Université Paul-Sabatier > LMTG, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
Fluteau, Frederic;  IPGP, Paris
François, Louis  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Modélisation du climat et des cycles biogéochimiques
Meert, Joseph;  University of Florida > Department of Geological Sciences
Nedelec, Anne;  CNRS/Université Paul-Sabatier > LMTG, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
Ramstein, Gilles;  CNRS/CEA > LSCE
Language :
English
Title :
Coupled modeling of global carbon cycle and climate in the Neoproterozoic: links between Rodinia breakup and major glaciations
Alternative titles :
[fr] Modélisation couplée du cycle du carbone et du climat au Néoprotérozoïque : liens entre la dislocation du supercontinent Rodinia et les glaciations majeures
Publication date :
2007
Journal title :
Comptes Rendus Geoscience
ISSN :
1631-0713
eISSN :
1778-7025
Publisher :
Elsevier Science, Paris, France
Volume :
339
Issue :
3-4
Pages :
212-222
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
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