Ice core evidence for the extent of past atmospheric CO₂ change due to iron fertilisation

Abstract

An extended high‐resolution ice core record of dust deposition over the past 60 ka from Dome C, Antarctica, is presented. The data are in conflict with the idea that changes in aeolian iron input into the Southern Ocean were the major cause for the 80 ppm glacial‐interglacial CO 2 increase. During the deglaciation, the CO 2 increase shows a linear relationship with the fall of the logarithm of the nss‐Ca 2+ flux, a proxy for dust deposition. However, the very large variations in the nss‐Ca 2+ flux related to the glacial Antarctic warm events A1 to A4 were accompanied by small CO 2 variations only. Our data‐based analysis suggests that decreased Southern Ocean dust deposition caused at most a 20 ppm increase in CO 2 at the last glacial‐interglacial transition. Rapid decreases in dust deposition to the northern Pacific could have been responsible for a maximum of 8 ppm in addition.