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Glacial-to-interglacial variations in the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2

Nature volume 357, pages 461–466 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

Samples of the C4 shrub Atriplex confertifolia recovered from packrat middens in the western United States provide a record of changes in the 13C/12C ratio (δ13C) of atmospheric carbon dioxide. During the last ice age, atmospheric CO2 was isotopically light relative to interglacial periods, a result attributed to a combination of factors including reduced terrestrial biomass and decreased productivity of the polar ocean.

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Author notes

  1. W. Geoffrey Spaulding: Dames and Moore, 4220 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    Bruno D. Marino, Michael B. McElroy, Ross J. Salawitch & W. Geoffrey Spaulding

Authors
  1. Bruno D. Marino
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  2. Michael B. McElroy
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  3. Ross J. Salawitch
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  4. W. Geoffrey Spaulding
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Marino, B., McElroy, M., Salawitch, R. et al. Glacial-to-interglacial variations in the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2. Nature 357, 461–466 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/357461a0

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