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Carbon dating hampered by rising fossil-fuel emissions

Archaeologists will increasingly have to rely on other techniques as emissions continue to alter the composition of carbon isotopes in air.
  1. Nicola Jones
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The researchers who track the ever-rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have charted a landmark moment. As of 2021, the burning of fossil fuels has officially shifted the composition of carbon isotopes in the air of the Northern Hemisphere enough to cancel out a useful signal from nuclear-weapons testing1.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02057-4

References

  1. Graven, H., Keeling, R. & Xu, X. Nature 607, 449 (2022).

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  2. Kutschera, W. Radiocarbon https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2022.13 (2022).

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  3. Cerling, T. E. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 113, 13330–13335 (2016).

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