The importance of planetary rotation period for ocean heat transport

The climate, and hence potential habitability, of a planet crucially depends on how its atmospheric and oceanic circulation transports heat from warmer to cooler regions. However, previous studies of planetary climate have concentrated on modelling the dynamics of their atmospheres whilst dramatically simplifying the treatment of the oceans, which neglects or misrepresents the effect of the ocean in the total heat transport. Even the majority of studies with a dynamic ocean have used a simple so-called aquaplanet having no continental barriers, which is a configuration which dramatically changes the oceanic dynamics. Here the significance of the response of poleward ocean heat transport to planetary rotation period is shown with a simple meridional barrier – the simplest representation of any continental configuration. The poleward ocean heat transport increases significantly as the planetary rotation period is increased. The peak heat transport more than doubles when the rotation period is increased by a factor of ten. There are also significant changes to ocean temperature at depth, with implications for the carbon cycle. There is strong agreement between the model results and a scale analysis of the governing equations. This result highlights the importance of both planetary rotation period and the ocean circulation when considering planetary habitability

Geologically constrained astronomical solutions for the Cenozoic era

Astronomical solutions provide insight into the Solar System's dynamical evolution and are indispensable tools in cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology. Constructing an absolute, fully calibrated astronomical time scale (ATS) has hitherto been hindered beyond ∼50 Ma because orbital calculations disagree before that age due to solar system chaos. We have recently developed a new approach that allows extending the fully calibrated astronomical time scale to ∼58 Ma. Here, we present geologic data and new astronomical solutions, extending our approach across the Paleocene epoch (∼66 to ∼56 Ma). New astronomical solutions were generated using numerical solar system integrations following our earlier work, which now provides geologically constrained astronomical solutions for the Cenozoic era (66-0 Ma). The orbital solutions are available to 300 Ma — we caution, however, that the time interval 300-66 Ma is unconstrained due to dynamical chaos in the solar system. We have tested the sensitivity of our new solutions to various parameters, including numerical stepsize, solar quadrupole moment, number of asteroids included, initial positions, and tidal dissipation. We demonstrate that our new solutions yield improved agreement with the geologic record across the Paleocene epoch, compared to previously available astronomical solutions for that period. Furthermore, we discuss implications of our results for solar system chaos and resonance transitions. We have also obtained K/T boundary (KTB) ages based on our new solutions, which suggest slightly younger KTB ages than those inferred from most recent 40Ar/39Ar radiometric dating

History of carbonate ion concentration over the last 100 million years

Instead of having been more or less constant, as once assumed, it is now apparent that the major ion chemistry of the oceans has varied substantially over time. For instance, independent lines of evidence suggest that calcium concentration ([Ca2+]) has approximately halved and magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]) approximately doubled over the last 100 million years. On the other hand, the calcite compensation depth, and hence the CaCO3 saturation, has varied little over the last 100 My as documented in deep sea sediments. We combine these pieces of evidence to develop a proxy for seawater carbonate ion concentration ([CO32?]) over this period of time. From the calcite saturation state (which is proportional to the product of [Ca2+] times [CO32?], but also affected by [Mg2+]), we can calculate seawater [CO32?]. Our results show that [CO32?] has nearly quadrupled since the Cretaceous. Furthermore, by combining our [CO32?] proxy with other carbonate system proxies, we provide calculations of the entire seawater carbonate system and atmospheric CO2. Based on this, reconstructed atmospheric CO2 is relatively low in the Miocene but high in the Eocene. Finally, we make a strong case that seawater pH has increased over the last 100 My

Carbon emissions and acidification

Avoiding environmental damage from ocean acidification requires reductions in carbon dioxide emissions regardless of climate change

Geologically constrained astronomical solutions for the Cenozoic era

Astronomical solutions provide insight into the Solar System's dynamical evolution and are indispensable tools in cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology. Constructing an absolute, fully calibrated astronomical time scale (ATS) has hitherto been hindered beyond ∼50 Ma because orbital calculations disagree before that age due to solar system chaos. We have recently developed a new approach that allows extending the fully calibrated astronomical time scale to ∼58 Ma. Here, we present geologic data and new astronomical solutions, extending our approach across the Paleocene epoch (∼66 to ∼56 Ma). New astronomical solutions were generated using numerical solar system integrations following our earlier work, which now provides geologically constrained astronomical solutions for the Cenozoic era (66-0 Ma). The orbital solutions are available to 300 Ma — we caution, however, that the time interval 300-66 Ma is unconstrained due to dynamical chaos in the solar system. We have tested the sensitivity of our new solutions to various parameters, including numerical stepsize, solar quadrupole moment, number of asteroids included, initial positions, and tidal dissipation. We demonstrate that our new solutions yield improved agreement with the geologic record across the Paleocene epoch, compared to previously available astronomical solutions for that period. Furthermore, we discuss implications of our results for solar system chaos and resonance transitions. We have also obtained K/T boundary (KTB) ages based on our new solutions, which suggest slightly younger KTB ages than those inferred from most recent 40Ar/39Ar radiometric dating

Constraints on hyperthermals

The abrupt warming event 56 million years ago, known as the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), was associated with the largescale release of 13C-depleted carbon into the ocean–atmosphere system. In sedimentary records, the event is reflected by a negative carbon isotope excursion1. Cui et al. used a carbon-cycle model to estimate the rate of carbon release during the PETM. The model assumed that the onset of the carbon isotope excursion occurred over approximately 20,000 years, an estimate based on a cyclostratigraphic model. Here we highlight several issues that weaken the conclusions of Cui et al

Inorganic carbon acquisition in red-tide dinoflagellates

Carbon acquisition was investigated in three marine bloom-forming dinoflagellates – Prorocentrum minimum, Heterocapsa triquetra and Ceratium lineatum. In vivo activities of extracellular and intracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA), photosynthetic O2 evolution, CO2 and HCO3– uptake rates were measured by membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) in cells acclimated to low pH (8.0) and high pH (8.5 or 9.1). A second approach used short-term 14C-disequilibrium incubations to estimate the carbon source utilized by the cells. All three species showed negligible extracellular CA (eCA) activity in cells acclimated to low pH and only slightly higher activity when acclimated to high pH. Intracellular CA (iCA) activity was present in all three species, but it increased only in P. minimum with increasing pH. Half-saturation concentrations (K1/2) for photosynthetic O2 evolution were low compared to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) kinetics. Moreover, apparent affinities for inorganic carbon (Ci) increased with increasing pH in the acclimation, indicating the operation of an efficient CO2 concentration mechanism (CCM) in these dinoflagellates. Rates of CO2 uptake were comparably low and could not support the observed rates of photosynthesis. Consequently, rates of HCO3– uptake were high in the investigated species, contributing more than 80% of the photosynthetic carbon fixation. The affinity for HCO3– and maximum uptake rates increased under higher pH. The strong preference for HCO3– was also confirmed by the 14C-disequilibrium technique. Modes of carbon acquisition were consistent with the 13C-fractionation pattern observed and indicated a strong species-specific difference in leakage. These results suggest that photosynthesis in marine dinoflagellates is not limited by Ci even at high pH, which may occur during red tides in coastal waters