Carbon cycling and burial in the glacially influenced polar North Atlantic

Taylor, Justin; Tranter, Martyn; Munhoven, Guy

doi:10.1029/2001PA000644

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Carbon cycling and burial in the glacially influenced polar North Atlantic

Taylor, Justin; Tranter, Martyn; Munhoven, Guy

2002 • In Paleoceanography, 17 (1), p. 1001

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10.1029/2001PA000644

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Keywords :

carbon cycling; North Atlantic; ice sheet

Abstract :

[en] We have collated published records of carbon storage (wt% calcium carbonate and organic carbon) in polar North Atlantic sediments in order to assess the role that the glacial history of Greenland and Fennoscandia may have had on carbon cycling in this oceanographically important region. The proportion of carbonate in sediment varies between 0 and similar to 50%, while that of organic carbon varies between 0 and similar to 2.0%. The spatial variation of the concentration and accumulation of both constituents is markedly different. Bulk accumulation shows a strong relationship with depth, distance offshore, and the location of major glacial outlets on neighboring landmasses. Therefore, ice sheet dynamics and erosion influence carbon (especially organic carbon) storage strongly during the late Weichselian (27-12 C-14 ka) via their impact on sedimentation rates and constituents. In contrast, water mass characteristics are important in determining the pattern of carbon storage during the Holocene. Carbonate fluxes to the polar North Atlantic sediment Column fall by similar to50% during glacials to similar to 1.1 x 10(13) kg kyr(-1), but organic carbon storage is maintained at or greater than interglacial levels (similar to 4.6 x 10(11) kg kyr(-1)). This represents a 100% change in the ratio of preserved inorganic to organic carbon. When combined with reduced deep water ventilation, respiration of this relatively greater organic carbon flux in both the water and sediment columns provides a good explanation for the observed periodic enhanced dissolution of carbonate in polar North Atlantic late Weichselian sections. perhaps enhancing CO2 storage in deep waters.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Taylor, Justin; University of Bristol > School of Geographical Sciences > Bristol Glaciology Centre

Tranter, Martyn; University of Bristol > School of Geographical Sciences > Bristol Glaciology Centre

Munhoven, Guy ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP) - Pétrologie et géochimie endogènes

Language :

English

Title :

Carbon cycling and burial in the glacially influenced polar North Atlantic

Publication date :

2002

Journal title :

Paleoceanography

ISSN :

0883-8305

eISSN :

1944-9186

Publisher :

Amer Geophysical Union, Washington, United States - District of Columbia

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

1001

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
NERC - Natural Environment Research Council
The Royal Society (Royaume-Uni)

Available on ORBi :

since 18 May 2010

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