Late pleistocene-recent atmospheric [delta][sup 13]C record in C[sub 4] grasses

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Radiocarbon; (United States)

OSTI ID:6116107

Toolin, L J ^[1]; Eastoe, C ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States). NSF Accelerator Facility for Radioisotope Analysis
2. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States). Dept. of Geosciences

Samples of Setaria species from packrat middens, herbarium specimens and modern plants preserve a record of [delta][sup 13]C of atmospheric CO[sub 2] from 12,600 Bp to the present. No secular trend is detected between 12,600 and 1,800 Bp, when the mean value of [delta][sup 13]C during that period was [minus]6.5 [plus minus] 0.1[per thousand] (the error is the standard deviation of the mean). The value agrees with [delta][sup 13]C averages of pre-industrial CO[sub 2] from polar ice cores, and differs significantly from modern regional ([minus]8.2 [plus minus] 0.1[per thousand]) and global ([minus]7.7[per thousand]) values, which are higher because of fossil fuel burning.

• OSTI ID: 6116107
• Journal Information: Radiocarbon; (United States), Vol. 35:2; ISSN 0033-8222
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
C4 SPECIES
ISOTOPE DATING
CARBON DIOXIDE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
CLIMATIC CHANGE
MONITORING
CARBON 13
CARBON DIOXIDE FIXATION
GRAMINEAE
ISOTOPE RATIO
PLEISTOCENE EPOCH
AGE ESTIMATION
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARBON OXIDES
CENOZOIC ERA
CHALCOGENIDES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GEOLOGIC AGES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
QUATERNARY PERIOD
STABLE ISOTOPES
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
290301 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety- Regional & Global Environmental Aspects- (1992-)