Abstract
Detailed investigations of the carbon, oxygen and sulphur cycles using a range of proxies, including leaf pore stomata, δ13C, δ34S, and 87/86Sr isotopes, as well as geochemical mass balance modeling, provide detailed evidence of major trends as well as distinct events in the atmosphere-ocean-land system during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras (542–65 Ma), including greenhouse Earth periods (CO2 ~2,000–5,000 ppm) and glacial phases (CO2 < 500 ppm), with implications for biological evolution.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barclay RS, McElwain JC, Sageman B (2010) Carbon sequestration activated by a volcanic CO2 pulse during ocean anoxic event. Nat Geosci 3:205–208
Beerling DJ (2002a) CO2 and the end-triassic mass extinction. Nature 415:386–387
Beerling DJ, Royer D (2011) Convergent cenozoic CO2 history. Nat Geosci 4:418–420
Beerling DJ, Osborne CP, Chaloner WG (2001) Evolution of leaf-form in land plants linked to atmospheric CO2 decline in the Late Palaeozoic era. Nature 410:352–354
Berner RA (2004) The phanerozoic carbon cycle: CO2 and O2. Oxford University Press, New York
Berner RA (2005) The carbon and sulfur cycles and atmospheric oxygen from middle Permian to middle Triassic. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 69:3211–3217
Berner RA (2006) GEOCARBSULF: a combined model for phanerozoic atmospheric O2 and CO2. Geochim et Cosmochim Acta 70(23):5653–5664
Berner RA (2009) Phanerozoic atmospheric oxygen new results using the GEOCARBSULF model. Am J Sci 309:603–606
Berner RA, Vanderbrook JM, Ward PD (2007) Oxygen and evolution. Science 316:557–558
Crowley JC (1999) Pre-Mesozoic ice ages: their bearing on understanding the climate system. Geol Soc Am Mem 192. Boulder
Breecker DO, Sharp ZD, McFadden LD (2009) Atmospheric CO2 concentrations during ancient greenhouse climates were similar to those predicted for A.D. 2100. Proc Nat Acad Sci 107:576–580
Crowley TJ, Berner RA (2001) CO2 and climate change. Science 292:870–872
Eyles N (1993) Earth’s glacial record and its tectonic setting. Earth Sci Rev 35:1–248
Frakes LA, Francis JE, Syktus JI (1992) Climate modes of the Phanerozoic. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Isbell JL, Miller MF, Wolfe KL, Lenaker PA (2003) Timing of late paleozoic glaciation in Gondwana: was glaciation responsible for the development of Northern hemisphere cyclothems? In: Chan MA, Archer AW (eds) Extreme depositional environments: Mega end members in geologic time. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 340, Boulder, p 5–24
Keller G (2005) Impacts volcanism and mass extinction: random coincidence or cause and effect? Aust J Earth Sci 52:725–757
Kump LR, Arthur MA, Patzkowsky ME, Gibbs MT, Pinkus DS, Sheenan PM (1999) A weathering hypothesis for glaciation at high atmospheric pCO2 during the late Ordovician. Palaeoclimatol Palaeogeogr Palaeoecol 152:173–187
Pollard D, DeConto RM (2005) Hysteresis in cenozoic antarctic ice sheet variations. Glob Planet Change 45:9–21
Price GD (1999) The evidence and implications of polar ice during the mesozoic. Earth Sci Rev 48:183–210
Royer DL (2006) CO2-forced climate thresholds during the phanerozoic. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 70:5665–5675
Royer DL (2008) Linkages between CO2, climate, and evolution in deep time. Proc Nat Acad Sci 105:407–408
Royer DL, Berner RA, Montañez I, Neil P, Tabor J, Beerling DJ (2004) CO2 as a primary driver of phanerozoic climate. GSA Today 14:3
Strauss H, Peters-Kottig W (2003) The paleozoic to mesozoic carbon cycle revisited: the carbon isotopic composition of terrestrial organic matter. Geochem Geophys Geosystems 4(10)
Zachos J, Pagani M, Sloan L, Thomas E, Billups K (2001) Trends, rhythms, and aberrations in global climate 65 Ma to present. Science 292:686–693
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Glikson, A.Y. (2014). Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Atmospheres. In: Evolution of the Atmosphere, Fire and the Anthropocene Climate Event Horizon. SpringerBriefs in Earth Sciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7332-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7332-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7331-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7332-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)