A History of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Effects on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems
Extensive research in geology, atmospheric science, and paleontology provides a detailed history of CO2 in the atmosphere and an understanding of factors that have influenced changes in the past. This knowledge is used to illuminate the role of atmospheri
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Edited by I.T. Baldwin, Jena, Germany M.M. Caldwell, Logan, USA G. Heldmaier, Marburg, Germany Robert B. Jackson, Durham, USA O.L. Lange, Wu¨rzburg, Germany H.A. Mooney, Stanford, USA E.-D. Schulze, Jena, Germany U. Sommer, Kiel, Germany
James R. Ehleringer M. Denise Dearing
Thure E. Cerling
Editors
A History of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Effects on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems With 151 Illustrations
Thure E. Cerling Department of Geology and Geophysics and Department of Biology University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112 USA
James R. Ehleringer M. Denise Dearing Department of Biology University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112 USA
Cover illustration: Illustrated are the changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over three time periods. The left plate shows long-term decreases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over the last 550 million years and the role of the biota in significantly decreasing carbon dioxide levels when plants invaded land. The middle plate shows the variations in carbon dioxide levels over the last 400,000 years. The right plate shows the imprint of humans over the last half century, increasing carbon dioxide levels significantly well above interglacial levels. Data are based on graphics in Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5.
ISSN 0070-8356 ISBN 0-387-22069-0
Printed on acid-free paper.
2005 Springer ScienceBusiness Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, Inc., 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed in the United States of America. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springeronline.com
(WBG/MVY)
SPIN 10940464
Preface
Our planet’s atmosphere is thought to have changed gradually and over a very wide range of CO2 concentrations throughout history. From ancient atmospheric gases trapped in ice bubbles, we have strong evidence indicating that atmospheric CO2 values reached minimum concentrations of approximately 180 parts per million during the Last Glacial Maximum, which was only 15,000 years ago. At the other extreme, calculations suggest that some 500 million years ago the atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have been about 4000 to 5000 parts per million. The available evidence suggests that the decline in atmospheric CO2 over time has been neither steady nor constant, but rather that there have been periods in Earth’s history when CO2 concentrations have decreased and other periods in which CO2 levels were elevated. The changes in atmosphe
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