Low atmospheric CO2 levels before the rise of forested ecosystems

Low atmospheric CO₂ levels before the rise of forested ecosystems

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

Low atmospheric CO₂ levels before the rise of forested ecosystems. / Dahl, Tais W.; Harding, Magnus A. R.; Brugger, Julia; Feulner, Georg; Norrman, Kion; Lomax, Barry H.; Junium, Christopher K.

In: Nature Communications, Vol. 13, 7616, 2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Dahl, TW, Harding, MAR, Brugger, J, Feulner, G, Norrman, K, Lomax, BH & Junium, CK 2022, 'Low atmospheric CO₂ levels before the rise of forested ecosystems', Nature Communications, vol. 13, 7616. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9

APA

Dahl, T. W., Harding, M. A. R., Brugger, J., Feulner, G., Norrman, K., Lomax, B. H., & Junium, C. K. (2022). Low atmospheric CO₂ levels before the rise of forested ecosystems. Nature Communications, 13, [7616]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9

Vancouver

Dahl TW, Harding MAR, Brugger J, Feulner G, Norrman K, Lomax BH et al. Low atmospheric CO₂ levels before the rise of forested ecosystems. Nature Communications. 2022;13. 7616. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9

Author

Dahl, Tais W. ; Harding, Magnus A. R. ; Brugger, Julia ; Feulner, Georg ; Norrman, Kion ; Lomax, Barry H. ; Junium, Christopher K. / Low atmospheric CO₂ levels before the rise of forested ecosystems. In: Nature Communications. 2022 ; Vol. 13.

Bibtex

@article{74a8e351e836495e86524787ffcb1b94,

title = "Low atmospheric CO2 levels before the rise of forested ecosystems",

abstract = "The emergence of forests on Earth (~385 million years ago, Ma)1 has been linked to an order-of-magnitude decline in atmospheric CO2 levels and global climatic cooling by altering continental weathering processes, but observational constraints on atmospheric CO2 before the rise of forests carry large, often unbound, uncertainties. Here, we calibrate a mechanistic model for gas exchange in modern lycophytes and constrain atmospheric CO2 levels 410–380 Ma from related fossilized plants with bound uncertainties of approximately ±100 ppm (1 sd). We find that the atmosphere contained ~525–715 ppm CO2 before continents were afforested, and that Earth was partially glaciated according to a palaeoclimate model. A process-driven biogeochemical model (COPSE) shows the appearance of trees with deep roots did not dramatically enhance atmospheric CO2 removal. Rather, shallow-rooted vascular ecosystems could have simultaneously caused abrupt atmospheric oxygenation and climatic cooling long before the rise of forests, although earlier CO2 levels are still unknown.",

author = "Dahl, {Tais W.} and Harding, {Magnus A. R.} and Julia Brugger and Georg Feulner and Kion Norrman and Lomax, {Barry H.} and Junium, {Christopher K.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s).",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "nature publishing group",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Low atmospheric CO2 levels before the rise of forested ecosystems

AU - Dahl, Tais W.

AU - Harding, Magnus A. R.

AU - Brugger, Julia

AU - Feulner, Georg

AU - Norrman, Kion

AU - Lomax, Barry H.

AU - Junium, Christopher K.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - The emergence of forests on Earth (~385 million years ago, Ma)1 has been linked to an order-of-magnitude decline in atmospheric CO2 levels and global climatic cooling by altering continental weathering processes, but observational constraints on atmospheric CO2 before the rise of forests carry large, often unbound, uncertainties. Here, we calibrate a mechanistic model for gas exchange in modern lycophytes and constrain atmospheric CO2 levels 410–380 Ma from related fossilized plants with bound uncertainties of approximately ±100 ppm (1 sd). We find that the atmosphere contained ~525–715 ppm CO2 before continents were afforested, and that Earth was partially glaciated according to a palaeoclimate model. A process-driven biogeochemical model (COPSE) shows the appearance of trees with deep roots did not dramatically enhance atmospheric CO2 removal. Rather, shallow-rooted vascular ecosystems could have simultaneously caused abrupt atmospheric oxygenation and climatic cooling long before the rise of forests, although earlier CO2 levels are still unknown.

AB - The emergence of forests on Earth (~385 million years ago, Ma)1 has been linked to an order-of-magnitude decline in atmospheric CO2 levels and global climatic cooling by altering continental weathering processes, but observational constraints on atmospheric CO2 before the rise of forests carry large, often unbound, uncertainties. Here, we calibrate a mechanistic model for gas exchange in modern lycophytes and constrain atmospheric CO2 levels 410–380 Ma from related fossilized plants with bound uncertainties of approximately ±100 ppm (1 sd). We find that the atmosphere contained ~525–715 ppm CO2 before continents were afforested, and that Earth was partially glaciated according to a palaeoclimate model. A process-driven biogeochemical model (COPSE) shows the appearance of trees with deep roots did not dramatically enhance atmospheric CO2 removal. Rather, shallow-rooted vascular ecosystems could have simultaneously caused abrupt atmospheric oxygenation and climatic cooling long before the rise of forests, although earlier CO2 levels are still unknown.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9

DO - 10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36539413

AN - SCOPUS:85144281132

VL - 13

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

SN - 2041-1723

M1 - 7616

ER -

ID: 340096527

Globe Institute