Articles | Volume 19, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2177-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2177-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
03 Nov 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 03 Nov 2023
| 03 Nov 2023
Rejuvenating the ocean: mean ocean radiocarbon, CO2 release, and radiocarbon budget closure across the last deglaciation
Luke Skinner
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Earth Sciences Department, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EQ Cambridge, UK
Francois Primeau
Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, California, USA
Aurich Jeltsch-Thömmes
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Fortunat Joos
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Peter Köhler
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (AWI), P.O. Box 12 01 61, 27515 Bremerhaven, Germany
Edouard Bard
CEREGE, Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, IRD, INRAE, College de France, Technopole de l'Arbois, BP 80, 13545, Aix-en-Provence, France
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Cited
14 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Radiocarbon constraints on North Indian deep ocean ventilation and deglacial carbon dioxide release S. Wan et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109116
- Extremely depleted radiocarbon impact on estimation of Glacial North Pacific Intermediate Water ventilation A. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119254
- Accumulation of remineralised carbon and nutrients in the mid-depth Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas J. Stewart et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119866
- Assessing transient changes in the ocean carbon cycle during the last deglaciation through carbon isotope modeling H. Kobayashi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-769-2024
- Simulated radiocarbon cycle revisited by considering the bipolar seesaw and benthic 14C data P. Köhler et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118801
- Earth system response to Heinrich events explained by a bipolar convection seesaw M. Willeit et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01814-0
- Deglacial stratification of the polar Southern Ocean F. Fripiat et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2502076123
- Glacial terminations or glacial interruptions? L. Stott https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104756
- Glacial-interglacial records of redox-sensitive proxies in the intermediate Southwest Pacific: Implications for changes in oxygenation R. Hu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105178
- Carbon isotopes in the marine biogeochemistry model FESOM2.1-REcoM3 M. Butzin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-1709-2024
- A source-weighted Benthic minus Planktonic radiocarbon method for estimating pure ocean water age J. Du et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00952-x
- Towards the construction of regional marine radiocarbon calibration curves: an unsupervised machine learning approach A. Mârza et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-503-2024
- Atmospheric Δ14C in the northern and southern hemispheres over the past two millennia: Role of production rate, southern hemisphere westerly winds and ocean circulation changes H. Goosse et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108502
- A model intercomparison of radiocarbon-based marine reservoir ages during the last 55 kyr including abrupt changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation P. Köhler et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-729-2026
14 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Radiocarbon constraints on North Indian deep ocean ventilation and deglacial carbon dioxide release S. Wan et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109116
- Extremely depleted radiocarbon impact on estimation of Glacial North Pacific Intermediate Water ventilation A. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119254
- Accumulation of remineralised carbon and nutrients in the mid-depth Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas J. Stewart et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119866
- Assessing transient changes in the ocean carbon cycle during the last deglaciation through carbon isotope modeling H. Kobayashi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-769-2024
- Simulated radiocarbon cycle revisited by considering the bipolar seesaw and benthic 14C data P. Köhler et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118801
- Earth system response to Heinrich events explained by a bipolar convection seesaw M. Willeit et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01814-0
- Deglacial stratification of the polar Southern Ocean F. Fripiat et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2502076123
- Glacial terminations or glacial interruptions? L. Stott https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104756
- Glacial-interglacial records of redox-sensitive proxies in the intermediate Southwest Pacific: Implications for changes in oxygenation R. Hu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105178
- Carbon isotopes in the marine biogeochemistry model FESOM2.1-REcoM3 M. Butzin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-1709-2024
- A source-weighted Benthic minus Planktonic radiocarbon method for estimating pure ocean water age J. Du et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00952-x
- Towards the construction of regional marine radiocarbon calibration curves: an unsupervised machine learning approach A. Mârza et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-503-2024
- Atmospheric Δ14C in the northern and southern hemispheres over the past two millennia: Role of production rate, southern hemisphere westerly winds and ocean circulation changes H. Goosse et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108502
- A model intercomparison of radiocarbon-based marine reservoir ages during the last 55 kyr including abrupt changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation P. Köhler et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-729-2026
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 25 Jul 2026
Editorial statement
The manuscript by Skinner et al. presents a unique and useful data compilation of ocean-atmosphere radiocarbon age offset (B-Atm) across the last deglaciation. The presented global average B-Atm represents a new benchmark for modelling studies seeking to constrain the ocean's role in past atmospheric CO2 change, and seeking closure of the global radiocarbon cycle. The latter is important for constraining the carbon cycle evolution over the last deglaciation (which remains to be quantitatively accounted for), as well as the history of the geodynamo and solar activity.
The manuscript by Skinner et al. presents a unique and useful data compilation of...
Short summary
Radiocarbon is best known as a dating tool, but it also allows us to track CO2 exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. Using decades of data and novel mapping methods, we have charted the ocean’s average radiocarbon ″age” since the last Ice Age. Combined with climate model simulations, these data quantify the ocean’s role in atmospheric CO2 rise since the last Ice Age while also revealing that Earth likely received far more cosmic radiation during the last Ice Age than hitherto believed.
Radiocarbon is best known as a dating tool, but it also allows us to track CO2 exchange between...
