Revisiting the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum “Carbon Cycle Conundrum” With New Estimates of Atmospheric pCO<sub>2</sub> From Boron Isotopes
Michael J. Henehan, Kirsty M. Edgar, Gavin L. Foster, Donald E. Penman, Pincelli M. Hull, Rosanna Greenop, Eleni Anagnostou, Paul N. Pearson
Abstract
Abstract The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) was a gradual warming event and carbon cycle perturbation that occurred between 40.5 and 40.1 Ma. A number of characteristics, including greater‐than‐expected deep‐sea carbonate dissolution, a lack of globally coherent negative δ 13 C excursion in marine carbonates, a duration longer than the characteristic timescale of carbon cycle recovery, and the absence of a clear trigger mechanism, challenge our current understanding of the Earth system and its regulatory feedbacks. This makes the MECO one of the most enigmatic events in the Cenozoic, dubbed a middle Eocene “carbon cycle conundrum.” Here we use boron isotopes in planktic foraminifera to better constrain pCO 2 changes over the event. Over the MECO itself, we find that pCO 2 rose by only 0.55–0.75 doublings, thus requiring a much more modest carbon injection than previously indicated by the alkenone δ 13 C‐pCO 2 proxy. In addition, this rise in pCO 2 was focused around the peak of the 400 kyr warming trend. Before this, considerable global carbonate δ 18 O change was asynchronous with any coherent ocean pH (and hence pCO 2 ) excursion. This finding suggests that middle Eocene climate (and perhaps a nascent cryosphere) was highly sensitive to small changes in radiative forcing.