Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2

The Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) about 93.5 million years ago was marked by high atmospheric CO 2 concentration, rapid global warming and marine anoxia and euxinia. The event lasted for about 440,000 years and led to habitat loss and mass extinction. The marine anoxia is thought to be linked to enhan...

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Main Authors: Pogge von Strandmann, P, Jenkyns, H, Woodfine, R
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2013
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author Pogge von Strandmann, P
Jenkyns, H
Woodfine, R
author_facet Pogge von Strandmann, P
Jenkyns, H
Woodfine, R
author_sort Pogge von Strandmann, P
collection OXFORD
description The Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) about 93.5 million years ago was marked by high atmospheric CO 2 concentration, rapid global warming and marine anoxia and euxinia. The event lasted for about 440,000 years and led to habitat loss and mass extinction. The marine anoxia is thought to be linked to enhanced biological productivity, but it is unclear what triggered the increased production and what allowed the subsequent rapid climate recovery. Here we use lithium isotope measurements from carbonates spanning the interval including OAE2 to assess the role of silicate weathering. We find the lightest values of the Li isotope ratio (δ 7 Li) during OAE2, indicating high levels of weathering - and therefore atmospheric CO 2 removal - which we attribute to an enhanced hydrological cycle. We use a geochemical model to simulate the evolution of δ 7 Li and the Ca, Sr and Os isotope tracers. Our simulations suggest a scenario in which the eruption of a large igneous province led to high atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and rapid global warming, which initiated OAE2. The simulated warming was accompanied by a roughly 200,000 year pulse of accelerated weathering of mafic silicate rocks, which removed CO 2 from the atmosphere. The weathering also delivered nutrients to the oceans that stimulated primary productivity. We suggest that this process, together with the burial of organic carbon, allowed the rapid recovery and stabilization from the greenhouse state.
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spelling oxford-uuid:0fbee6e6-889d-4164-bcef-64116fef2db12022-03-26T09:52:45ZLithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:0fbee6e6-889d-4164-bcef-64116fef2db1EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2013Pogge von Strandmann, PJenkyns, HWoodfine, RThe Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) about 93.5 million years ago was marked by high atmospheric CO 2 concentration, rapid global warming and marine anoxia and euxinia. The event lasted for about 440,000 years and led to habitat loss and mass extinction. The marine anoxia is thought to be linked to enhanced biological productivity, but it is unclear what triggered the increased production and what allowed the subsequent rapid climate recovery. Here we use lithium isotope measurements from carbonates spanning the interval including OAE2 to assess the role of silicate weathering. We find the lightest values of the Li isotope ratio (δ 7 Li) during OAE2, indicating high levels of weathering - and therefore atmospheric CO 2 removal - which we attribute to an enhanced hydrological cycle. We use a geochemical model to simulate the evolution of δ 7 Li and the Ca, Sr and Os isotope tracers. Our simulations suggest a scenario in which the eruption of a large igneous province led to high atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and rapid global warming, which initiated OAE2. The simulated warming was accompanied by a roughly 200,000 year pulse of accelerated weathering of mafic silicate rocks, which removed CO 2 from the atmosphere. The weathering also delivered nutrients to the oceans that stimulated primary productivity. We suggest that this process, together with the burial of organic carbon, allowed the rapid recovery and stabilization from the greenhouse state.
spellingShingle Pogge von Strandmann, P
Jenkyns, H
Woodfine, R
Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
title Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
title_full Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
title_fullStr Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
title_full_unstemmed Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
title_short Lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
title_sort lithium isotope evidence for enhanced weathering during oceanic anoxic event 2
work_keys_str_mv AT poggevonstrandmannp lithiumisotopeevidenceforenhancedweatheringduringoceanicanoxicevent2
AT jenkynsh lithiumisotopeevidenceforenhancedweatheringduringoceanicanoxicevent2
AT woodfiner lithiumisotopeevidenceforenhancedweatheringduringoceanicanoxicevent2