Climate of the Past
Climate of the Past
CP
Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-439-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
Research article
 | 
25 Feb 2016
Research article |  | 25 Feb 2016

Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary

Margret Steinthorsdottir, Amanda S. Porter, Aidan Holohan, Lutz Kunzmann, Margaret Collinson, and Jennifer C. McElwain

Viewed

Total article views: 5,633 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
3,108 2,287 238 5,633 438 207 243
  • HTML: 3,108
  • PDF: 2,287
  • XML: 238
  • Total: 5,633
  • Supplement: 438
  • BibTeX: 207
  • EndNote: 243
Views and downloads (calculated since 26 Oct 2015)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 26 Oct 2015)
Latest update: 28 Nov 2025
Download
Short summary
Our manuscript "Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO2 prior to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary" reports that ~ 40 % decrease in pCO2 preceded the large shift in marine oxygen isotope records that characterizes the Eocene–Oliogocene climate transition. The results endorse the theory that pCO2 drawdown was the main forcer of the Eocene–Oligocene climate change, and a "tipping point" was reached in the latest Eocene, triggering the plunge of the Earth System into icehouse conditions.
Read more
Share
Special issue
Climatic and biotic events of the Paleogene