Partial collapse of the marine carbon pump after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

Birch, Heather; Coxall, Helen; Pearson, Paul Nicholas; Kroon, Dick; Schmidt, Daniela N.

doi:10.1130/g37581.1

Cited by 69 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…In this study, bulk sediment oxygen and carbon isotope data published by Birch et al [] have been used to reconstruct seawater temperature changes. We calculated SSTs using the carbonate‐water isotopic temperature derived by Epstein et al .…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 70%

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Latest Cretaceous climatic and environmental change in the South Atlantic region

et al. 2017

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Latest Maastrichtian climate change caused by Deccan volcanism has been invoked as a cause of mass extinction at the Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K‐Pg) boundary (~66.0 Ma). Yet late Maastrichtian climate and ecological changes are poorly documented, in particular on the Southern Hemisphere. Here we present upper Maastrichtian‐lower Danian climate and biotic records from the Bajada del Jagüel (BJ) shelf site (Neuquén Basin, Argentina), employing the TEX86 paleothermometer, marine palynology (dinoflagellate cysts), and micropaleontology (foraminifera). These records are correlated to the astronomically tuned Ocean Drilling Program Site 1262 (Walvis Ridge). Collectively, we use these records to assess climatic and ecological effects of Deccan volcanism in the Southern Atlantic region. Both the TEX86‐based sea surface temperature (SST) record at BJ and the bulk carbonate δ18O‐based SST record of Site 1262 show a latest Maastrichtian warming of ~2.5–4°C, at 450 to 150 kyr before the K‐Pg boundary, coinciding with the a large Deccan outpouring phase. Benthic foraminiferal and dinocyst assemblage changes indicate that this warming resulted in enhanced runoff and stratification of the water column, likely resulting from more humid climate conditions in the Neuquén Basin. These climate conditions could have been caused by an expanding and strengthening thermal low over the South American continent. Biotic changes in response to late Maastrichtian environmental changes are rather limited, when compared to the major turnovers observed at many K‐Pg boundary sites worldwide. This suggests that environmental perturbations during the latest Maastrichtian warming event were less severe than those following the K‐Pg boundary impact.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 70%

“…Our new, astronomically tuned age model (Figure ) provides absolute ages for the bulk δ 18 O record of Birch et al []. The studied interval reaches from 67.0685 Ma to 66.0225 Ma (the K‐Pg boundary).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latest Cretaceous climatic and environmental change in the South Atlantic region

et al. 2017

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“…), which took over 1 myr to recover to pre‐boundary conditions (Birch et al . ). The biological and ecological reorganization that resulted from the K–Pg mass extinction had a profound influence on the nature and structure of modern ecosystems (Krug et al .…”

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confidence: 97%

Nature and timing of biotic recovery in Antarctic benthic marine ecosystems following the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction

et al. 2019

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Taxonomic and ecological recovery from the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) mass extinction 66 million years ago shaped the composition and structure of modern ecosystems. The timing and nature of recovery has been linked to many factors including palaeolatitude, geographical range, the ecology of survivors, incumbency and palaeoenvironmental setting. Using a temporally constrained fossil dataset from one of the most expanded K–Pg successions in the world, integrated with palaeoenvironmental information, we provide the most detailed examination of the patterns and timing of recovery from the K–Pg mass extinction event in the high southern latitudes of Antarctica. The timing of biotic recovery was influenced by global stabilization of the wider Earth system following severe environmental perturbations, apparently regardless of latitude or local environment. Extinction intensity and ecological change were decoupled, with community scale ecological change less distinct compared to other locations, even if the taxonomic severity of the extinction was the same as at lower latitudes. This is consistent with a degree of geographical heterogeneity in the recovery from the K–Pg mass extinction. Recovery in Antarctica was influenced by local factors (such as water depth changes, local volcanism, and possibly incumbency and pre‐adaptation to seasonality of the local benthic molluscan population), and also showed global signals, for example the radiation of the Neogastropoda within the first million years of the Danian, and a shift in dominance between bivalves and gastropods.

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“…This, in turn, may have also drawn down atmospheric CO 2 and prompted climatic changes ( [66], this study). While some evidence suggests export of organic carbon to the deep ocean had largely recovered within a few hundred thousand years [79,80], carbonate preservation (figure 2) suggests recovery of full pre-event biogeochemical function in pelagic ecosystems took more than a million years, coinciding with restoration of micro-and nannofossil biodiversity [81] Figure 3. LOSCAR [31] simulations of Deccan degassing release and K-Pg reduction in CaCO 3 flux.…”

Section: Comparison With Carbonate System Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical significance of pelagic ecosystem function: an end-Cretaceous case study

Henehan

Hull

Penman

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 17 to a theme issue 'Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in dynamic landscapes'. Pelagic ecosystem function is integral to global biogeochemical cycling, and plays a major role in modulating atmospheric CO 2 concentrations ( pCO 2 ). Uncertainty as to the effects of human activities on marine ecosystem function hinders projection of future atmospheric pCO 2 . To this end, events in the geological past can provide informative case studies in the response of ecosystem function to environmental and ecological changes. Around the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary, two such events occurred: Deccan large igneous province (LIP) eruptions and massive bolide impact at the Yucatan Peninsula. Both perturbed the environment, but only the impact coincided with marine mass extinction. As such, we use these events to directly contrast the response of marine biogeochemical cycling to environmental perturbation with and without changes in global species richness. We measure this biogeochemical response using records of deep-sea carbonate preservation. We find that Late Cretaceous Deccan volcanism prompted transient deep-sea carbonate dissolution of a larger magnitude and timescale than predicted by geochemical models. Even so, the effect of volcanism on carbonate preservation was slight compared with bolide impact. Empirical records and geochemical models support a pronounced increase in carbonate saturation state for more than 500 000 years following the mass extinction of pelagic carbonate producers at the K-Pg boundary. These examples highlight the importance of pelagic ecosystems in moderating climate and ocean chemistry.

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Partial collapse of the marine carbon pump after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

Cited by 69 publications

References 24 publications

Latest Cretaceous climatic and environmental change in the South Atlantic region

Latest Cretaceous climatic and environmental change in the South Atlantic region

Nature and timing of biotic recovery in Antarctic benthic marine ecosystems following the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction

Biogeochemical significance of pelagic ecosystem function: an end-Cretaceous case study

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