Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Climate forced atmospheric CO2 variability in the early Holocene: A stomatal frequency reconstruction

Jessen, Catherine LU ; Rundgren, Mats LU ; Björck, Svante LU and Muscheler, R. LU orcid (2007) In Global and Planetary Change 57(3-4). p.247-260
Abstract
The dynamic climate in the Northern Hemisphere during the early Holocene could be expected to have impacted on the global carbon cycle. Ice core studies however, show little variability in atmospheric CO2. Resolving any possible centennial to decadal CO2 changes is limited by gas diffusion through the firn layer during bubble enclosure. Here we apply the inverse relationship between stomatal index (measured on sub-fossil leaves) and atmospheric CO2 to complement ice core records between 11,230 and 10,330 cal. yr BP. High-resolution sampling and radiocarbon dating of lake sediments from the Faroe Islands reconstruct a distinct CO2 decrease centred on ca. 11,050 cal. yr BP, a consistent and steady decline between ca. 10,900 and 10,600 cal.... (More)
The dynamic climate in the Northern Hemisphere during the early Holocene could be expected to have impacted on the global carbon cycle. Ice core studies however, show little variability in atmospheric CO2. Resolving any possible centennial to decadal CO2 changes is limited by gas diffusion through the firn layer during bubble enclosure. Here we apply the inverse relationship between stomatal index (measured on sub-fossil leaves) and atmospheric CO2 to complement ice core records between 11,230 and 10,330 cal. yr BP. High-resolution sampling and radiocarbon dating of lake sediments from the Faroe Islands reconstruct a distinct CO2 decrease centred on ca. 11,050 cal. yr BP, a consistent and steady decline between ca. 10,900 and 10,600 cal. yr BP and an increased instability after ca. 10,550 cal. yr BP. The earliest decline lasting ca. 150 yr is probably associated with the Preboreal Oscillation, an abrupt climatic cooling affecting much of the Northern Hemisphere a few hundred years after the end of the Younger Dryas. In the absence of known global climatic instability, the decline to ca. 10,600 cal. yr BP is possibly due to expanding vegetation in the Northern Hemisphere. The increasing instability in CO2 after 10,600 cal. yr BP occurs during a period of increasing cooling of surface waters in the North Atlantic and some increased variability in proxy climate indicators in the region. The reconstructed CO2 changes also show a distinct similarity to indicators of changing solar activity. This may suggest that at least the Northern Hemisphere was particularly sensitive to changes in solar activity during this time and that atmospheric CO2 concentrations fluctuated via rapid responses in climate. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
climate change, early Holocene, CO2, stomatal index
in
Global and Planetary Change
volume
57
issue
3-4
pages
247 - 260
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000247411400005
  • scopus:34249020714
ISSN
1872-6364
DOI
10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.11.035
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2dfd04a7-8a1d-43dc-b174-cb1b75433ed0 (old id 647753)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:14:49
date last changed
2022-01-27 01:00:49
@article{2dfd04a7-8a1d-43dc-b174-cb1b75433ed0,
  abstract     = {{The dynamic climate in the Northern Hemisphere during the early Holocene could be expected to have impacted on the global carbon cycle. Ice core studies however, show little variability in atmospheric CO2. Resolving any possible centennial to decadal CO2 changes is limited by gas diffusion through the firn layer during bubble enclosure. Here we apply the inverse relationship between stomatal index (measured on sub-fossil leaves) and atmospheric CO2 to complement ice core records between 11,230 and 10,330 cal. yr BP. High-resolution sampling and radiocarbon dating of lake sediments from the Faroe Islands reconstruct a distinct CO2 decrease centred on ca. 11,050 cal. yr BP, a consistent and steady decline between ca. 10,900 and 10,600 cal. yr BP and an increased instability after ca. 10,550 cal. yr BP. The earliest decline lasting ca. 150 yr is probably associated with the Preboreal Oscillation, an abrupt climatic cooling affecting much of the Northern Hemisphere a few hundred years after the end of the Younger Dryas. In the absence of known global climatic instability, the decline to ca. 10,600 cal. yr BP is possibly due to expanding vegetation in the Northern Hemisphere. The increasing instability in CO2 after 10,600 cal. yr BP occurs during a period of increasing cooling of surface waters in the North Atlantic and some increased variability in proxy climate indicators in the region. The reconstructed CO2 changes also show a distinct similarity to indicators of changing solar activity. This may suggest that at least the Northern Hemisphere was particularly sensitive to changes in solar activity during this time and that atmospheric CO2 concentrations fluctuated via rapid responses in climate. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Jessen, Catherine and Rundgren, Mats and Björck, Svante and Muscheler, R.}},
  issn         = {{1872-6364}},
  keywords     = {{climate change; early Holocene; CO2; stomatal index}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3-4}},
  pages        = {{247--260}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Global and Planetary Change}},
  title        = {{Climate forced atmospheric CO2 variability in the early Holocene: A stomatal frequency reconstruction}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.11.035}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.11.035}},
  volume       = {{57}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}