Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2423-2023
© 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-19-2423-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Dec 2023
Research article |
| 04 Dec 2023
| 04 Dec 2023
Distinguishing the combined vegetation and soil component of δ13C variation in speleothem records from subsequent degassing and prior calcite precipitation effects
Heather M. Stoll
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Chris Day
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3AN, Oxford, UK
Franziska Lechleitner
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Oliver Kost
Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Laura Endres
Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Jakub Sliwinski
Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Carlos Pérez-Mejías
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
Hai Cheng
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
Denis Scholz
Institute of Geosciences, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
Related authors
Sindia M. Sosdian, Alexandra Auderset, Sevasti Modestou, Ann Holbourn, Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, Anna Joy Drury, Anya V. Hess, Karlos G. D. Kochhann, Diederik Liebrand, Xiaoqing Liu, Jared Nirenberg, Neeraj S. Shah, Deborah Tangunan, Gerald Auer, Marcus P. S. Badger, Clara Bolton, Alexander Clark, Anya Crocker, David Evans, Sarah Feakins, Timothy Herbert, Emily Judd, Jennifer Kasbohm, David King, Wout Krijgsman, Wolfgang Kuhnt, Kira Lawrence, Caroline H. Lear, Kim Marshall-Mills, Erin McClymont, Nele Meckler, Paul Minton, Katrina Nilsson-Kerr, Diana Ochoa, Marci Robinson, Thamizharasan Sakthivel, Francesca Sangiorgi, Amelia E. Shevenell, Weimin Si, Elizabeth Sibert, Kasia K. Sliwinska, Appy Sluijs, Heather Stoll, Victoria Taylor, Tim van Peer, Bridget Wade, Thomas Westerhold, Evi Wubben, Yige Zhang, and Martin Ziegler
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-699, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-699, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
The MioOcean database hosts Miocene (23–5.3 million years ago) ocean temperatures, standardised and with updated age information, comprising 22,941 data points from 101 scientific studies. As parts of the Miocene were warmer than present, with estimated CO2 levels similar to those projected for the near future, this database enables assessment of how past oceans responded to climate variations, which may improve predictions of climate responses to anticipated future warming.
Sarah Rowan, Marc Luetscher, Negar Haghipour, Heather M. Stoll, Laura Endres, Sönke Szidat, and Franziska A. Lechleitner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5813, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5813, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Soils and plants store three times as much carbon as the atmosphere but how carbon is lost to inland water bodies remains uncertain. We present two years of data from a cave system, revealing contrasting sources and ages of dissolved carbon pools, as well as strong seasonal dynamics. A speleothem (secondary cave carbonate deposit) allows us to trace these signatures back in time. Our findings highlight the complexity of belowground transport and transformation of carbon.
Celia Campa-Bousoño, Miguel Iglesias, Iñaki Vadillo, Lucía Ojeda, Jorge Pisonero, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Heather Stoll
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3717, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
To understand how rainfall changed in southern Iberia during the shift from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age, we studied yearly layers preserved in a stalagmite from Ardales Cave, southern Spain. The record shows repeated shifts between wetter and drier periods, including major droughts around 1125, 1250, 1500, and 1560 CE. It also reveals intervals of more variable rainfall, suggesting changing influence from Atlantic and Mediterranean weather patterns.
Thomas Tanner, Ivan Hernandez-Almeida, Reto Wijker, Andrea K. Manirajan, Madeleine Santos, Peter Bijl, Tim van Peer, and Heather Stoll
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3415, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3415, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we examined the relationship between surface ocean temperature in the midlatitudes in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres over a period of major Antarctic ice expansion 24 to 22 million years ago, a period when Antarctica was the only polar ice sheet. We find consistent cooling of the surface ocean in both hemispheres as ice was expanding, indicating a close coupling of global climate and polar ice caps.
Laura Endres, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Ruza Ivanovic, Lauren Gregoire, Anna L. C. Hughes, Hai Cheng, and Heather Stoll
Clim. Past, 22, 797–824, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-797-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-797-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Stable isotope data of a precisely dated stalagmite from northwestern Iberia indicate gradual North Atlantic meltwater input during the last glacial maximum, followed by abrupt surges early in the last deglaciation. The first abrupt surge was decoupled from first cooling about 810 years later – unlike later events – which reveals that the Atlantic circulation’s sensitivity to meltwater is variable and related to the evolving background climate boundary conditions.
Reto S. Wijker, Pere Aguiló-Nicolau, Madalina Jaggi, Jeroni Galmés, and Heather M. Stoll
Biogeosciences, 23, 1591–1608, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1591-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1591-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Photosynthetic organisms leave characteristic carbon isotope fingerprints that help scientists study Earth’s carbon cycle. We developed a simpler laboratory method to measure these isotope effects in Rubisco, the key enzyme fixing CO2. Applying this approach, we obtained the first measurement for Gephyrocapsa oceanica, a widespread marine alga that plays a major role in ocean carbon cycling.
Alexander J. Clark, Alba Gonzalez-Lanchas, Kyra Bachmakova, Madalina Jaggi, and Heather M. Stoll
J. Micropalaeontol., 44, 673–692, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-673-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-673-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We quantified the thickness of early Eocene calcareous nannofossils and linked it to different depositional environment parameters. Discoasters and placoliths do not respond in the same manner. Carbonate content affects discoasters and induces overgrowth, but palaeowater depth affects placoliths and can induce dissolution. We also find that the ratio of non-overgrown to overgrown Discoaster multiradiatus is a potential quantitative placolith preservation indicator.
Nicolas Tapia, Laura Endres, Madalina Jaggi, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 22, 6861–6875, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6861-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6861-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use stalagmites to study past changes in the terrestrial P cycle. Our P records from multiple, coeval stalagmites from Northwest Spain show that the onsets of past abrupt cooling events are characterized by multi-century reproducible peaks in stalagmite P which reflect higher groundwater P/Ca concentrations and enhanced P export, potentially resulting from increased freeze-thaw frequency and more intense infiltration from snowmelt.
Heather M. Stoll, Clara Bolton, Madalina Jaggi, Alfredo Martinez-Garcia, and Stefano M. Bernasconi
Clim. Past, 21, 2189–2203, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2189-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2189-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In periods of high atmospheric CO2 many proxies suggest more extreme past polar warming than is simulated by current coupled climate models. Providing new data on high latitude temperatures in the South Atlantic over the last 15 million years using clumped isotope thermometry, we show that absolute temperatures may not have been as warm as indicated by some biomarker based proxy climate records.
José Guitián, Samuel Phelps, Reto S. Wijker, Pratigya J. Polissar, Laura Arnold, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 21, 2115–2132, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2115-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2115-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstructed from sediments of different ocean sites phytoplankton carbon isotopic fractionation (εp), mainly linked to CO2 variations, during the Oligocene to early Miocene. Data confirm Cenozoic long-term CO2 record but show contrasting relationships with the sea surface temperatures evolution. We evaluate the role of non-CO2 environmental factors such as temperature and nutrients at each site εp, highlighting the complexity of interpreting climate dynamics and CO2 reconstructions.
Nikita Kaushal, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 21, 1633–1660, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1633-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1633-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Terminations are large-magnitude rapid events triggered in the North Atlantic region that manifest across the global climate system. They provide key examples of climatic teleconnections and dynamics. In this study, we use the SISAL global speleothem database and find that there are sufficient climatic records from key locations to make speleothems a valuable archive for studying terminations and provide instances for more targeted work on speleothem research.
Judit Torner, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Ana Moreno, Joan O. Grimalt, Francisco J. Sierro, Joan J. Fornós, Hai Cheng, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 21, 465–487, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-465-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-465-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We offer a clearer view of the timing of three relevant past glacial terminations. By analyzing the climatic signal recorded in stalagmite and linking it with marine records, we revealed differences in the intensity and duration of the ice melting associated with these three key deglaciations. This study shows that some deglaciations began earlier than previously thought; this improves our understanding of natural climate processes, helping us to contextualize current climate change.
Alexander J. Clark, Ismael Torres-Romero, Madalina Jaggi, Stefano M. Bernasconi, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 20, 2081–2101, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2081-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2081-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coccoliths are abundant in sediments across the world’s oceans, yet it is difficult to apply traditional carbon or oxygen isotope methodologies for temperature reconstructions. We show that our coccolith clumped isotope temperature calibration with well-constrained temperatures systematically differs from inorganic carbonate calibrations. We suggest the use of our well-constrained calibration for future coccolith carbonate temperature reconstructions.
Nikita Kaushal, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Micah Wilhelm, Khalil Azennoud, Janica C. Bühler, Kerstin Braun, Yassine Ait Brahim, Andy Baker, Yuval Burstyn, Laia Comas-Bru, Jens Fohlmeister, Yonaton Goldsmith, Sandy P. Harrison, István G. Hatvani, Kira Rehfeld, Magdalena Ritzau, Vanessa Skiba, Heather M. Stoll, József G. Szűcs, Péter Tanos, Pauline C. Treble, Vitor Azevedo, Jonathan L. Baker, Andrea Borsato, Sakonvan Chawchai, Andrea Columbu, Laura Endres, Jun Hu, Zoltán Kern, Alena Kimbrough, Koray Koç, Monika Markowska, Belen Martrat, Syed Masood Ahmad, Carole Nehme, Valdir Felipe Novello, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Jiaoyang Ruan, Natasha Sekhon, Nitesh Sinha, Carol V. Tadros, Benjamin H. Tiger, Sophie Warken, Annabel Wolf, Haiwei Zhang, and SISAL Working Group members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1933–1963, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1933-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1933-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Speleothems are a popular, multi-proxy climate archive that provide regional to global insights into past hydroclimate trends with precise chronologies. We present an update to the SISAL (Speleothem Isotopes
Synthesis and AnaLysis) database, SISALv3, which, for the first time, contains speleothem trace element records, in addition to an update to the stable isotope records available in previous versions of the database, cumulatively providing data from 365 globally distributed sites.
Synthesis and AnaLysis) database, SISALv3, which, for the first time, contains speleothem trace element records, in addition to an update to the stable isotope records available in previous versions of the database, cumulatively providing data from 365 globally distributed sites.
Miguel Bartolomé, Ana Moreno, Carlos Sancho, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Negar Haghipour, Ánchel Belmonte, Christoph Spötl, John Hellstrom, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 467–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructing past temperatures at regional scales during the Common Era is necessary to place the current warming in the context of natural climate variability. We present a climate reconstruction based on eight stalagmites from four caves in the Pyrenees, NE Spain. These stalagmites were dated precisely and analysed for their oxygen isotopes, which appear dominated by temperature changes. Solar variability and major volcanic eruptions are the two main drivers of observed climate variability.
Heather M. Stoll, Leopoldo D. Pena, Ivan Hernandez-Almeida, José Guitián, Thomas Tanner, and Heiko Pälike
Clim. Past, 20, 25–36, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-25-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-25-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Oligocene and early Miocene periods featured dynamic glacial cycles on Antarctica. In this paper, we use Sr isotopes in marine carbonate sediments to document a change in the location and intensity of continental weathering during short periods of very intense Antarctic glaciation. Potentially, the weathering intensity of old continental rocks on Antarctica was reduced during glaciation. We also show improved age models for correlation of Southern Ocean and North Atlantic sediments.
Oliver Kost, Saúl González-Lemos, Laura Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Jakub Sliwinski, Laura Endres, Negar Haghipour, and Heather Stoll
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2227–2255, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2227-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2227-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cave monitoring studies including cave drip water are unique opportunities to sample water which has percolated through the soil and rock. The change in drip water chemistry is resolved over the course of 16 months, inferring seasonal and hydrological variations in soil and karst processes at the water–air and water–rock interface. Such data sets improve the understanding of hydrological and hydrochemical processes and ultimately advance the interpretation of geochemical stalagmite records.
Amanda Gerotto, Hongrui Zhang, Renata Hanae Nagai, Heather M. Stoll, Rubens César Lopes Figueira, Chuanlian Liu, and Iván Hernández-Almeida
Biogeosciences, 20, 1725–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Based on the analysis of the response of coccolithophores’ morphological attributes in a laboratory dissolution experiment and surface sediment samples from the South China Sea, we proposed that the thickness shape (ks) factor of fossil coccoliths together with the normalized ks variation, which is the ratio of the standard deviation of ks (σ) over the mean ks (σ/ks), is a robust and novel proxy to reconstruct past changes in deep ocean carbon chemistry.
Jessica G. M. Crumpton-Banks, Thomas Tanner, Ivan Hernández Almeida, James W. B. Rae, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 19, 5633–5644, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Past ocean carbon is reconstructed using proxies, but it is unknown whether preparing ocean sediment for one proxy might damage the data given by another. We have tested whether the extraction of an organic proxy archive from sediment samples impacts the geochemistry of tiny shells also within the sediment. We find no difference in shell geochemistry between samples which come from treated and untreated sediment. This will help us to maximize scientific return from valuable sediment samples.
José Guitián, Miguel Ángel Fuertes, José-Abel Flores, Iván Hernández-Almeida, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 19, 5007–5019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5007-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5007-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The effect of environmental conditions on the degree of calcification of marine phytoplankton remains unclear. This study implements a new microscopic approach to quantify the calcification of ancient coccolithophores, using North Atlantic sediments. Results show significant differences in the thickness and shape factor of coccoliths for samples with minimum dissolution, providing the first evaluation of phytoplankton physiology adaptation to million-year-scale variable environmental conditions.
Sindia M. Sosdian, Alexandra Auderset, Sevasti Modestou, Ann Holbourn, Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, Anna Joy Drury, Anya V. Hess, Karlos G. D. Kochhann, Diederik Liebrand, Xiaoqing Liu, Jared Nirenberg, Neeraj S. Shah, Deborah Tangunan, Gerald Auer, Marcus P. S. Badger, Clara Bolton, Alexander Clark, Anya Crocker, David Evans, Sarah Feakins, Timothy Herbert, Emily Judd, Jennifer Kasbohm, David King, Wout Krijgsman, Wolfgang Kuhnt, Kira Lawrence, Caroline H. Lear, Kim Marshall-Mills, Erin McClymont, Nele Meckler, Paul Minton, Katrina Nilsson-Kerr, Diana Ochoa, Marci Robinson, Thamizharasan Sakthivel, Francesca Sangiorgi, Amelia E. Shevenell, Weimin Si, Elizabeth Sibert, Kasia K. Sliwinska, Appy Sluijs, Heather Stoll, Victoria Taylor, Tim van Peer, Bridget Wade, Thomas Westerhold, Evi Wubben, Yige Zhang, and Martin Ziegler
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-699, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-699, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
The MioOcean database hosts Miocene (23–5.3 million years ago) ocean temperatures, standardised and with updated age information, comprising 22,941 data points from 101 scientific studies. As parts of the Miocene were warmer than present, with estimated CO2 levels similar to those projected for the near future, this database enables assessment of how past oceans responded to climate variations, which may improve predictions of climate responses to anticipated future warming.
Sarah Rowan, Marc Luetscher, Negar Haghipour, Heather M. Stoll, Laura Endres, Sönke Szidat, and Franziska A. Lechleitner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5813, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5813, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Soils and plants store three times as much carbon as the atmosphere but how carbon is lost to inland water bodies remains uncertain. We present two years of data from a cave system, revealing contrasting sources and ages of dissolved carbon pools, as well as strong seasonal dynamics. A speleothem (secondary cave carbonate deposit) allows us to trace these signatures back in time. Our findings highlight the complexity of belowground transport and transformation of carbon.
Fernando Gázquez, Hubert Vonhof, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Andrea Columbu, Alena Giesche, Hai Cheng, Alfredo Martínez-García, Brian DiMento, Eneko Iriarte, and José María Calaforra
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4435, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4435, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
By studying mineral deposits formed in a cave in southern Spain, we reconstructed how climate changed between about 9,700 and 4,400 years ago. We found that a humid climate gradually gave way to much drier conditions, with the main transition occurring between 6,000 and 5,500 years ago. These results show how the end of a wet period in North Africa also affected southern Europe, improving our understanding of how regional climates respond to large-scale environmental change.
Celia Campa-Bousoño, Miguel Iglesias, Iñaki Vadillo, Lucía Ojeda, Jorge Pisonero, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Heather Stoll
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3717, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
To understand how rainfall changed in southern Iberia during the shift from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age, we studied yearly layers preserved in a stalagmite from Ardales Cave, southern Spain. The record shows repeated shifts between wetter and drier periods, including major droughts around 1125, 1250, 1500, and 1560 CE. It also reveals intervals of more variable rainfall, suggesting changing influence from Atlantic and Mediterranean weather patterns.
Thomas Tanner, Ivan Hernandez-Almeida, Reto Wijker, Andrea K. Manirajan, Madeleine Santos, Peter Bijl, Tim van Peer, and Heather Stoll
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3415, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3415, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we examined the relationship between surface ocean temperature in the midlatitudes in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres over a period of major Antarctic ice expansion 24 to 22 million years ago, a period when Antarctica was the only polar ice sheet. We find consistent cooling of the surface ocean in both hemispheres as ice was expanding, indicating a close coupling of global climate and polar ice caps.
Pauline C. Treble, Yining Zang, Nikita Kaushal, István G. Hatvani, Péter Tanos, Zoltan Kern, Andy Baker, Andreas Hartmann, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Bryce Belanger, Bruna Daudt de Oliveira, Will Sinclair, Dana F. C. Riechelmann, András Hidas, Kei Yoshimura, Laia Comas-Bru, and the SISAL working group members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-31, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-31, 2026
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Water dripping from cave ceilings is studied to understand how water moves from the surface to the cave. This has applications for palaeoclimate, groundwater and cave conservation studies. We present a new database containing water isotope measurements for drip water and rainfall at 75 cave locations globally. The database is a SISAL working group initiative (Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and AnaLysis) and complements cave speleothem databases previously constructed by SISAL.
Laura Endres, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Ruza Ivanovic, Lauren Gregoire, Anna L. C. Hughes, Hai Cheng, and Heather Stoll
Clim. Past, 22, 797–824, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-797-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-797-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Stable isotope data of a precisely dated stalagmite from northwestern Iberia indicate gradual North Atlantic meltwater input during the last glacial maximum, followed by abrupt surges early in the last deglaciation. The first abrupt surge was decoupled from first cooling about 810 years later – unlike later events – which reveals that the Atlantic circulation’s sensitivity to meltwater is variable and related to the evolving background climate boundary conditions.
Reto S. Wijker, Pere Aguiló-Nicolau, Madalina Jaggi, Jeroni Galmés, and Heather M. Stoll
Biogeosciences, 23, 1591–1608, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1591-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1591-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Photosynthetic organisms leave characteristic carbon isotope fingerprints that help scientists study Earth’s carbon cycle. We developed a simpler laboratory method to measure these isotope effects in Rubisco, the key enzyme fixing CO2. Applying this approach, we obtained the first measurement for Gephyrocapsa oceanica, a widespread marine alga that plays a major role in ocean carbon cycling.
Alexander J. Clark, Alba Gonzalez-Lanchas, Kyra Bachmakova, Madalina Jaggi, and Heather M. Stoll
J. Micropalaeontol., 44, 673–692, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-673-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-673-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We quantified the thickness of early Eocene calcareous nannofossils and linked it to different depositional environment parameters. Discoasters and placoliths do not respond in the same manner. Carbonate content affects discoasters and induces overgrowth, but palaeowater depth affects placoliths and can induce dissolution. We also find that the ratio of non-overgrown to overgrown Discoaster multiradiatus is a potential quantitative placolith preservation indicator.
Nicolas Tapia, Laura Endres, Madalina Jaggi, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 22, 6861–6875, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6861-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6861-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use stalagmites to study past changes in the terrestrial P cycle. Our P records from multiple, coeval stalagmites from Northwest Spain show that the onsets of past abrupt cooling events are characterized by multi-century reproducible peaks in stalagmite P which reflect higher groundwater P/Ca concentrations and enhanced P export, potentially resulting from increased freeze-thaw frequency and more intense infiltration from snowmelt.
Heather M. Stoll, Clara Bolton, Madalina Jaggi, Alfredo Martinez-Garcia, and Stefano M. Bernasconi
Clim. Past, 21, 2189–2203, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2189-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2189-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In periods of high atmospheric CO2 many proxies suggest more extreme past polar warming than is simulated by current coupled climate models. Providing new data on high latitude temperatures in the South Atlantic over the last 15 million years using clumped isotope thermometry, we show that absolute temperatures may not have been as warm as indicated by some biomarker based proxy climate records.
José Guitián, Samuel Phelps, Reto S. Wijker, Pratigya J. Polissar, Laura Arnold, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 21, 2115–2132, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2115-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2115-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstructed from sediments of different ocean sites phytoplankton carbon isotopic fractionation (εp), mainly linked to CO2 variations, during the Oligocene to early Miocene. Data confirm Cenozoic long-term CO2 record but show contrasting relationships with the sea surface temperatures evolution. We evaluate the role of non-CO2 environmental factors such as temperature and nutrients at each site εp, highlighting the complexity of interpreting climate dynamics and CO2 reconstructions.
Sarah Ann Rowan, Marc Luetscher, Thomas Laemmel, Anna Harrison, Sönke Szidat, and Franziska A. Lechleitner
Biogeosciences, 22, 6173–6203, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6173-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6173-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We explored CO2 from the soil to subsurface at Milandre cave, finding very high concentrations at all depths. While forest soils produced modern CO2 year-round, cave and meadow soil CO2 influences vary with temperature-controlled cave ventilation, with older CO2 input in winter from old organic matter stored underground. These findings show that CO2 fluxes in karst systems are highly dynamic, and a better understanding of them is important for accurate carbon cycle modelling.
Nikita Kaushal, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 21, 1633–1660, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1633-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1633-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Terminations are large-magnitude rapid events triggered in the North Atlantic region that manifest across the global climate system. They provide key examples of climatic teleconnections and dynamics. In this study, we use the SISAL global speleothem database and find that there are sufficient climatic records from key locations to make speleothems a valuable archive for studying terminations and provide instances for more targeted work on speleothem research.
Stuart Umbo, Franziska Lechleitner, Thomas Opel, Sevasti Modestou, Tobias Braun, Anton Vaks, Gideon Henderson, Pete Scott, Alexander Osintzev, Alexandr Kononov, Irina Adrian, Yuri Dublyansky, Alena Giesche, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
Clim. Past, 21, 1533–1551, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1533-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1533-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use cave rocks to reconstruct northern Siberian climate in 8.68 ± 0.09 Ma. We show that when the global average temperature was about 4.5 °C warmer than today (similar to what is expected in the coming decades should carbon emissions continue unabated), the Siberian Arctic temperature increased by more than 18 °C.
Timothy J. Pollard, Jon D. Woodhead, Russell N. Drysdale, R. Lawrence Edwards, Xianglei Li, Ashlea N. Wainwright, Mathieu Pythoud, Hai Cheng, John C. Hellstrom, Ilaria Isola, Eleonora Regattieri, Giovanni Zanchetta, and Dylan S. Parmenter
Geochronology, 7, 335–355, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-335-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-335-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The uranium–thorium (U–Th) and uranium–lead (U–Pb) radiometric dating methods are both suitable for dating carbonate samples ranging in age from about 400 000 to 650 000 years. Here we test agreement between the two methods by dating speleothems (i.e. secondary cave mineral deposits) that are well-suited to both methods. We demonstrate excellent agreement between them and discuss their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Hu Yang, Xiaoxu Shi, Xulong Wang, Qingsong Liu, Yi Zhong, Xiaodong Liu, Youbin Sun, Yanjun Cai, Fei Liu, Gerrit Lohmann, Martin Werner, Zhimin Jian, Tainã M. L. Pinho, Hai Cheng, Lijuan Lu, Jiping Liu, Chao-Yuan Yang, Qinghua Yang, Yongyun Hu, Xing Cheng, Jingyu Zhang, and Dake Chen
Clim. Past, 21, 1263–1279, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1263-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1263-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
For 1 century, the hemispheric summer insolation is proposed as a key pacemaker of astronomical climate change. However, an increasing number of geologic records reveal that the low-latitude hydrological cycle shows asynchronous precessional evolutions that are very often out of phase with the summer insolation. Here, we propose that the astronomically driven low-latitude hydrological cycle is not paced by summer insolation but by shifting perihelion.
Juan Luis Bernal-Wormull, Ana Moreno, Yuri Dublyansky, Christoph Spötl, Reyes Giménez, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Miguel Bartolomé, Martin Arriolabengoa, Eneko Iriarte, Isabel Cacho, Richard Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 21, 1235–1261, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1235-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1235-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we present a record of temperature changes during the last deglaciation and the Holocene using isotopes of fluid inclusions in stalagmites from the northeastern region of the Iberian Peninsula. This innovative climate proxy for this study region provides a quantitative understanding of the abrupt temperature changes in southern Europe in the last 16 500 years before present.
Jade Margerum, Julia Homann, Stuart Umbo, Gernot Nehrke, Thorsten Hoffmann, Anton Vaks, Aleksandr Kononov, Alexander Osintsev, Alena Giesche, Andrew Mason, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Gideon M. Henderson, Ola Kwiecien, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
Clim. Past, 21, 661–677, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-661-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-661-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse a southern Siberian stalagmite to reconstruct soil respiration, wildfire, and vegetation trends during the Last Interglacial (LIG) (124.1–118.8 ka) and the Holocene (10–0 ka). Wildfires were more prevalent during the LIG than the Holocene and were supported by fire-prone species, low soil respiration, and a greater difference between summer and winter temperature. We show that vegetation type and summer/winter temperature contrast are strong drivers of Siberian wildfires.
Judit Torner, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Ana Moreno, Joan O. Grimalt, Francisco J. Sierro, Joan J. Fornós, Hai Cheng, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 21, 465–487, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-465-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-465-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We offer a clearer view of the timing of three relevant past glacial terminations. By analyzing the climatic signal recorded in stalagmite and linking it with marine records, we revealed differences in the intensity and duration of the ice melting associated with these three key deglaciations. This study shows that some deglaciations began earlier than previously thought; this improves our understanding of natural climate processes, helping us to contextualize current climate change.
Hubert B. Vonhof, Sophie Verheyden, Dominique Bonjean, Stéphane Pirson, Michael Weber, Denis Scholz, John Hellstrom, Hai Cheng, Xue Jia, Kévin Di Modica, Gregory Abrams, Marjan A. P. van Nunen, Joost Ruiter, Michèlle van der Does, Daniel Böhl, and Jeroen H. J. L. van der Lubbe
Clim. Past, 20, 2741–2758, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The sedimentary sequence in Scladina Cave (Belgium) is well-known for its rich archeological assemblages and its numerous faunal remains. Of particular interest is the presence of a nearly complete jaw bone of a Neanderthal child. In this study, we present new uranium series ages of stalagmites from the archeological sequence that allow more precise dating of the archeological finds. One key result is that the Neanderthal child may be slightly older than previously thought.
Alexander J. Clark, Ismael Torres-Romero, Madalina Jaggi, Stefano M. Bernasconi, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 20, 2081–2101, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2081-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2081-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coccoliths are abundant in sediments across the world’s oceans, yet it is difficult to apply traditional carbon or oxygen isotope methodologies for temperature reconstructions. We show that our coccolith clumped isotope temperature calibration with well-constrained temperatures systematically differs from inorganic carbonate calibrations. We suggest the use of our well-constrained calibration for future coccolith carbonate temperature reconstructions.
Pengzhen Duan, Hanying Li, Zhibang Ma, Jingyao Zhao, Xiyu Dong, Ashish Sinha, Peng Hu, Haiwei Zhang, Youfeng Ning, Guangyou Zhu, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 1401–1414, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1401-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use multi-proxy speleothem records to reveal a two droughts–one pluvial pattern during 8.5–8.0 ka. The different rebounded rainfall quantity after two droughts causes different behavior of δ13C, suggesting the dominant role of rainfall threshold on the ecosystem. A comparison of different records suggests the prolonged 8.2 ka event is a globally common phenomenon rather than a regional signal. The variability of the AMOC strength is mainly responsible for these climate changes.
Nikita Kaushal, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Micah Wilhelm, Khalil Azennoud, Janica C. Bühler, Kerstin Braun, Yassine Ait Brahim, Andy Baker, Yuval Burstyn, Laia Comas-Bru, Jens Fohlmeister, Yonaton Goldsmith, Sandy P. Harrison, István G. Hatvani, Kira Rehfeld, Magdalena Ritzau, Vanessa Skiba, Heather M. Stoll, József G. Szűcs, Péter Tanos, Pauline C. Treble, Vitor Azevedo, Jonathan L. Baker, Andrea Borsato, Sakonvan Chawchai, Andrea Columbu, Laura Endres, Jun Hu, Zoltán Kern, Alena Kimbrough, Koray Koç, Monika Markowska, Belen Martrat, Syed Masood Ahmad, Carole Nehme, Valdir Felipe Novello, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Jiaoyang Ruan, Natasha Sekhon, Nitesh Sinha, Carol V. Tadros, Benjamin H. Tiger, Sophie Warken, Annabel Wolf, Haiwei Zhang, and SISAL Working Group members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1933–1963, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1933-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1933-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Speleothems are a popular, multi-proxy climate archive that provide regional to global insights into past hydroclimate trends with precise chronologies. We present an update to the SISAL (Speleothem Isotopes
Synthesis and AnaLysis) database, SISALv3, which, for the first time, contains speleothem trace element records, in addition to an update to the stable isotope records available in previous versions of the database, cumulatively providing data from 365 globally distributed sites.
Synthesis and AnaLysis) database, SISALv3, which, for the first time, contains speleothem trace element records, in addition to an update to the stable isotope records available in previous versions of the database, cumulatively providing data from 365 globally distributed sites.
Miguel Bartolomé, Ana Moreno, Carlos Sancho, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Negar Haghipour, Ánchel Belmonte, Christoph Spötl, John Hellstrom, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 467–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructing past temperatures at regional scales during the Common Era is necessary to place the current warming in the context of natural climate variability. We present a climate reconstruction based on eight stalagmites from four caves in the Pyrenees, NE Spain. These stalagmites were dated precisely and analysed for their oxygen isotopes, which appear dominated by temperature changes. Solar variability and major volcanic eruptions are the two main drivers of observed climate variability.
Heather M. Stoll, Leopoldo D. Pena, Ivan Hernandez-Almeida, José Guitián, Thomas Tanner, and Heiko Pälike
Clim. Past, 20, 25–36, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-25-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-25-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Oligocene and early Miocene periods featured dynamic glacial cycles on Antarctica. In this paper, we use Sr isotopes in marine carbonate sediments to document a change in the location and intensity of continental weathering during short periods of very intense Antarctic glaciation. Potentially, the weathering intensity of old continental rocks on Antarctica was reduced during glaciation. We also show improved age models for correlation of Southern Ocean and North Atlantic sediments.
Giselle Utida, Francisco W. Cruz, Mathias Vuille, Angela Ampuero, Valdir F. Novello, Jelena Maksic, Gilvan Sampaio, Hai Cheng, Haiwei Zhang, Fabio Ramos Dias de Andrade, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 19, 1975–1992, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) behavior during the past 3000 years over northeastern Brazil based on oxygen stable isotopes of stalagmites. Paleoclimate changes were mainly forced by the tropical South Atlantic and tropical Pacific sea surface temperature variability. We describe an ITCZ zonal behavior active around 1100 CE and the period from 1500 to 1750 CE. The dataset also records historical droughts that affected modern human population in this area of Brazil.
Charlotte Honiat, Gabriella Koltai, Yuri Dublyansky, R. Lawrence Edwards, Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 19, 1177–1199, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A look at the climate evolution during the last warm period may allow us to test ground for future climate conditions. We quantified the temperature evolution during the Last Interglacial using a tiny amount of water trapped in the crystals of precisely dated stalagmites in caves from the southeastern European Alps. Our record indicates temperatures up to 2 °C warmer than today and an unstable climate during the first half of the Last Interglacial.
Oliver Kost, Saúl González-Lemos, Laura Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Jakub Sliwinski, Laura Endres, Negar Haghipour, and Heather Stoll
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2227–2255, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2227-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2227-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cave monitoring studies including cave drip water are unique opportunities to sample water which has percolated through the soil and rock. The change in drip water chemistry is resolved over the course of 16 months, inferring seasonal and hydrological variations in soil and karst processes at the water–air and water–rock interface. Such data sets improve the understanding of hydrological and hydrochemical processes and ultimately advance the interpretation of geochemical stalagmite records.
Amanda Gerotto, Hongrui Zhang, Renata Hanae Nagai, Heather M. Stoll, Rubens César Lopes Figueira, Chuanlian Liu, and Iván Hernández-Almeida
Biogeosciences, 20, 1725–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Based on the analysis of the response of coccolithophores’ morphological attributes in a laboratory dissolution experiment and surface sediment samples from the South China Sea, we proposed that the thickness shape (ks) factor of fossil coccoliths together with the normalized ks variation, which is the ratio of the standard deviation of ks (σ) over the mean ks (σ/ks), is a robust and novel proxy to reconstruct past changes in deep ocean carbon chemistry.
Jessica G. M. Crumpton-Banks, Thomas Tanner, Ivan Hernández Almeida, James W. B. Rae, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 19, 5633–5644, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Past ocean carbon is reconstructed using proxies, but it is unknown whether preparing ocean sediment for one proxy might damage the data given by another. We have tested whether the extraction of an organic proxy archive from sediment samples impacts the geochemistry of tiny shells also within the sediment. We find no difference in shell geochemistry between samples which come from treated and untreated sediment. This will help us to maximize scientific return from valuable sediment samples.
José Guitián, Miguel Ángel Fuertes, José-Abel Flores, Iván Hernández-Almeida, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 19, 5007–5019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5007-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5007-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The effect of environmental conditions on the degree of calcification of marine phytoplankton remains unclear. This study implements a new microscopic approach to quantify the calcification of ancient coccolithophores, using North Atlantic sediments. Results show significant differences in the thickness and shape factor of coccoliths for samples with minimum dissolution, providing the first evaluation of phytoplankton physiology adaptation to million-year-scale variable environmental conditions.
Janica C. Bühler, Josefine Axelsson, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Jens Fohlmeister, Allegra N. LeGrande, Madhavan Midhun, Jesper Sjolte, Martin Werner, Kei Yoshimura, and Kira Rehfeld
Clim. Past, 18, 1625–1654, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1625-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1625-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We collected and standardized the output of five isotope-enabled simulations for the last millennium and assess differences and similarities to records from a global speleothem database. Modeled isotope variations mostly arise from temperature differences. While lower-resolution speleothems do not capture extreme changes to the extent of models, they show higher variability on multi-decadal timescales. As no model excels in all comparisons, we advise a multi-model approach where possible.
Sophie F. Warken, Therese Weißbach, Tobias Kluge, Hubert Vonhof, Denis Scholz, Rolf Vieten, Martina Schmidt, Amos Winter, and Norbert Frank
Clim. Past, 18, 167–181, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-167-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-167-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The analysis of fluid inclusions from a Puerto Rican speleothem provides quantitative information about past rainfall conditions and temperatures during the Last Glacial Period, when the climate was extremely variable. Our data show that the region experienced a climate that was generally colder and drier. However, we also reconstruct intervals when temperatures reached nearly modern values, and convective activity was comparable to or only slightly weaker than the present day.
Cited articles
Alkhatib, M., Qutob, M., Alkhatib, S., and Eisenhauer, A.: Influence of precipitation rate and temperature on the partitioning of magnesium and strontium in calcite overgrowths, Chem. Geol., 599, 120841, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120841, 2022.
Ausín, B., Magill, C., Haghipour, N., Fernández, Á., Wacker, L., Hodell, D., Baumann, K.-H., and Eglinton, T. I.: (In) coherent multiproxy signals in marine sediments: Implications for high-resolution paleoclimate reconstruction, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 515, 38–46, 2019.
Breitenbach, S. F. and Bernasconi, S. M.: Carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of small carbonate samples (20 to 100 µg) with a GasBench II preparation device, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 25, 1910–1914, 2011.
Cacho, I., Grimalt, J. O., Pelejero, C., Canals, M., Sierro, F. J., Flores, J. A., and Shackleton, N.: Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich event imprints in Alboran Sea paleotemperatures, Paleoceanography, 14, 698–705, 1999.
Day, C. C. and Henderson, G. M.: Controls on trace-element partitioning in cave-analogue calcite, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 120, 612–627, 2013.
DePaolo, D. J.: Surface kinetic model for isotopic and trace element fractionation during precipitation of calcite from aqueous solutions, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 75, 1039–1056, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.11.020, 2011.
de Wet, C. B., Erhardt, A. M., Sharp, W. D., Marks, N. E., Bradbury, H. J., Turchyn, A. V., Xu, Y., and Oster, J. L.: Semiquantitative estimates of rainfall variability during the 8.2 kyr event in California using speleothem calcium isotope ratios, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL089154, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089154, 2021.
Dorale, J. A. and Liu, Z.: Limitations of Hendy test criteria in judging the paleoclimatic suitability of speleothems and the need for replication, J. Cave Karst Stud., 71, 73–80, 2009.
Emrich, K., Ehhalt, D., and Vogel, J.: Carbon isotope fractionation during the precipitation of calcium carbonate, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 8, 363–371, 1970.
Fairchild, I. J. and Treble, P. C.: Trace elements in speleothems as recorders of environmental change, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 28, 449–468, 2009.
Frisia, S., Borsato, A., Hartland, A., Faraji, M., Demeny, A., Drysdale, R. N., and Marjo, C. E.: Crystallization pathways, fabrics and the capture of climate proxies in speleothems: Examples from the tropics, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 297, 107833, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107833, 2022.
Genty, D., Blamart, D., Ouahdi, R., Gilmour, M., Baker, A., Jouzel, J., and Van-Exter, S.: Precise dating of Dansgaard–Oeschger climate oscillations in western Europe from stalagmite data, Nature, 421, 833–837, 2003.
Genty, D., Blamart, D., Ghaleb, B., Plagnes, V., Causse, C., Bakalowicz, M., Zouari, K., Chkir, N., Hellstrom, J., and Wainer, K.: Timing and dynamics of the last deglaciation from European and North African δ13C stalagmite profiles – comparison with Chinese and South Hemisphere stalagmites, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 25, 2118–2142, 2006.
Goni, M. F. S., Landais, A., Fletcher, W. J., Naughton, F., Desprat, S., and Duprat, J.: Contrasting impacts of Dansgaard–Oeschger events over a western European latitudinal transect modulated by orbital parameters, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 27, 1136–1151, 2008.
Hansen, M., Scholz, D., Froeschmann, M.-L., Schöne, B. R., and Spötl, C.: Carbon isotope exchange between gaseous CO2 and thin solution films: Artificial cave experiments and a complete diffusion-reaction model, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 211, 28–47, 2017.
Hansen, M., Scholz, D., Schöne, B. R., and Spötl, C.: Simulating speleothem growth in the laboratory: Determination of the stable isotope fractionation (δ13C and δ18O) between H2O, DIC and CaCO3, Chem. Geol., 509, 20–44, 2019.
Hendy, C. H.: The isotopic geochemistry of speleothems – I. The calculation of the effects of different modes of formation on the isotopic composition of speleothems and their applicability as palaeoclimatic indicators, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 35, 801–824, https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(71)90127-X, 1971.
Hippler, D., Schmitt, A. D., Gussone, N., Heuser, A., Stille, P., Eisenhauer, A., and Nägler, T. F.: Calcium isotopic composition of various reference materials and seawater, Geostand. Newslett., 27, 13–19, 2003.
Hofmann, A. E., Bourg, I. C., and DePaolo, D. J.: Ion desolvation as a mechanism for kinetic isotope fractionation in aqueous systems, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 109, 18689–18694, 2012.
Kost, O., Sliwinski, J., Gies, N., Lueder, M., and Stoll, H. M.: The influence of fluid inclusions, organics, and calcite fabric on trace element distributions in stalagmites, Front. Earth Sci., 202311, 1240888, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1240888, 2023a.
Kost, O., Gonzalez Lemos, S., Rodriguez-Rodriguez, L., Sliwinski, J., Endres, L., Haghipour, N., and Stoll, H. M.: Relationship of seasonal variations in drip water δ13CDIC, δ18O, and trace elements with surface and physical cave conditions of La Vallina cave, NW Spain, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2227–2255, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2227-2023, 2023b.
Lechleitner, F. A., Day, C. C., Kost, O., Wilhelm, M., Haghipour, N., Henderson, G. M., and Stoll, H. M.: Stalagmite carbon isotopes suggest deglacial increase in soil respiration in western Europe driven by temperature change, Clim. Past, 17, 1903–1918, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1903-2021, 2021.
Li, X., Hu, C., Huang, J., Xie, S., and Baker, A.: A 9000-year carbon isotopic record of acid-soluble organic matter in a stalagmite from Heshang Cave, central China: Paleoclimate implications, Chem. Geol., 388, 71–77, 2014.
Li, X., Cui, X., He, D., Liao, J., and Hu, C.: Evaluation of the Heshang Cave stalagmite calcium isotope composition as a paleohydrologic proxy by comparison with the instrumental precipitation record, Sci. Rep., 8, 1–7, 2018.
Lorens, R. B.: Sr, Cd, Mn and Co distribution coefficients in calcite as a function of calcite precipitation rate, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 45, 553–561, 1981.
Magiera, M., Lechleitner, F. A., Erhardt, A. M., Hartland, A., Kwiecien, O., Cheng, H., Bradbury, H. J., Turchyn, A. V., Riechelmann, S., and Edwards, L.: Local and regional Indian summer monsoon precipitation dynamics during Termination II and the Last Interglacial, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 12454–12463, 2019.
Martrat, B., Grimalt, J. O., Shackleton, N. J., de Abreu, L., Hutterli, M. A., and Stocker, T. F.: Four climate cycles of recurring deep and surface water destabilizations on the Iberian margin, Science, 317, 502–507, 2007.
Meyer, K. W., Feng, W., Breecker, D. O., Banner, J. L., and Guilfoyle, A.: Interpretation of speleothem calcite δ13C variations: Evidence from monitoring soil CO2, drip water, and modern speleothem calcite in central Texas, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 142, 281–298, 2014.
Mickler, P. J., Banner, J. L., Stern, L., Asmerom, Y., Edwards, R. L., and Ito, E.: Stable isotope variations in modern tropical speleothems: evaluating equilibrium vs. kinetic isotope effects, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 68, 4381–4393, 2004.
Mickler, P. J., Stern, L. A., and Banner, J. L.: Large kinetic isotope effects in modern speleothems, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 118, 65–81, 2006.
Mickler, P. J., Carlson, P., Banner, J. L., Breecker, D. O., Stern, L., and Guilfoyle, A.: Quantifying carbon isotope disequilibrium during in-cave evolution of drip water along discreet flow paths, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 244, 182–196, 2019.
Mills, J. V., DePaolo, D. J., and Lammers, L. N.: The influence of Ca:CO3 stoichiometry on Ca isotope fractionation: Implications for process-based models of calcite growth, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 298, 87–111, 2021.
Mucci, A. and Morse, J. W.: The incorporation of Mg2+ and Sr2+ into calcite overgrowths: influences of growth rate and solution composition, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 47, 217–233, 1983.
Mühlinghaus, C., Scholz, D., and Mangini, A.: Modelling stalagmite growth and δ13C as a function of drip interval and temperature, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 71, 2780–2790, 2007.
Mühlinghaus, C., Scholz, D., and Mangini, A.: Modelling fractionation of stable isotopes in stalagmites, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 73, 7275–7289, 2009.
Nielsen, L. C., De Yoreo, J. J., and DePaolo, D. J.: General model for calcite growth kinetics in the presence of impurity ions, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 115, 100–114, 2013.
Noronha, A. L., Johnson, K. R., Hu, C., Ruan, J., Southon, J. R., and Ferguson, J. E.: Assessing influences on speleothem dead carbon variability over the Holocene: implications for speleothem-based radiocarbon calibration, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 394, 20–29, 2014.
Owen, R., Day, C., Hu, C.-Y., Liu, Y.-H., Pointing, M., Blättler, C., and Henderson, G.: Calcium isotopes in caves as a proxy for aridity: Modern calibration and application to the 8.2 kyr event, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 443, 129–138, 2016.
Owen, R., Day, C. C., and Henderson, G. M.: CaveCalc: A new model for speleothem chemistry & isotopes, Comput. Geosci., 119, 115–122, 2018.
Pataki, D., Ehleringer, J., Flanagan, L., Yakir, D., Bowling, D., Still, C., Buchmann, N., Kaplan, J. O., and Berry, J.: The application and interpretation of Keeling plots in terrestrial carbon cycle research, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 17, 1022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GB001850, 2003.
Polag, D., Scholz, D., Mühlinghaus, C., Spötl, C., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Segl, M., and Mangini, A.: Stable isotope fractionation in speleothems: Laboratory experiments, Chem. Geol., 279, 31–39, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2010.09.016, 2010.
Reynard, L., Day, C., and Henderson, G.: Large fractionation of calcium isotopes during cave-analogue calcium carbonate growth, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 75, 3726–3740, 2011.
Romanek, C. S., Grossman, E. L., and Morse, J. W.: Carbon isotopic fractionation in synthetic aragonite and calcite: effects of temperature and precipitation rate, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 56, 419–430, 1992.
Romanov, D., Kaufmann, G., and Dreybrodt, W.: Modeling stalagmite growth by first principles of chemistry and physics of calcite precipitation, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 72, 423–437, 2008.
Romero-Mujalli, G., Hartmann, J., Börker, J., Gaillardet, J., and Calmels, D.: Ecosystem controlled soil-rock pCO2 and carbonate weathering – Constraints by temperature and soil water content, Chem. Geol., 527, 118634, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.01.030, 2019.
Rubinson, M. and Clayton, R. N.: Carbon-13 fractionation between aragonite and calcite, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 33, 997–1002, 1969.
Sade, Z., Hegyi, S., Hansen, M., Scholz, D., and Halevy, I.: The effects of drip rate and geometry on the isotopic composition of speleothems: Evaluation with an advection-diffusion-reaction model, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 317, 409–432, 2022.
Scholz, D., Mühlinghaus, C., and Mangini, A.: Modelling δ13C and δ18O in the solution layer on stalagmite surfaces, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 73, 2592–2602, 2009.
Sinclair, D. J.: Two mathematical models of Mg and Sr partitioning into solution during incongruent calcite dissolution: implications for dripwater and speleothem studies, Chem. Geol., 283, 119–133, 2011.
Sinclair, D. J., Banner, J. L., Taylor, F. W., Partin, J., Jenson, J., Mylroie, J., Goddard, E., Quinn, T., Jocson, J., and Miklavič, B.: Magnesium and strontium systematics in tropical speleothems from the Western Pacific, Chem. Geol., 294, 1–17, 2012.
Sliwinski, J., Kost, O., Endres, L., Iglesias, M., Haghipour, N., González-Lemos, S., and Stoll, H.: Exploring soluble and colloidally transported trace elements in stalagmites: The strontium-yttrium connection, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 343, 64–83, 2023.
Sliwinski, J. T. and Stoll, H. M.: Combined fluorescence imaging and LA-ICP-MS trace element mapping of stalagmites: Microfabric identification and interpretation, Chem. Geol., 581, 120397, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120397, 2021.
Stoll, H., Mendez-Vicente, A., Gonzalez-Lemos, S., Moreno, A., Cacho, I., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R. L.: Interpretation of orbital scale variability in mid-latitude speleothem δ18O: Significance of growth rate controlled kinetic fractionation effects, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 127, 215–228, 2015.
Stoll, H. M., Müller, W., and Prieto, M.: I-STAL, a model for interpretation of
Stoll, H. M., Moreno, A., Mendez-Vicente, A., Gonzalez-Lemos, S., Jimenez-Sanchez, M., Dominguez-Cuesta, M. J., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H., and Wang, X.: Paleoclimate and growth rates of speleothems in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula over the last two glacial cycles, Quatern. Res., 80, 284–290, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2013.05.002, 2013.
Stoll, H. M., Cacho, I., Gasson, E., Sliwinski, J., Kost, O., Moreno, A., Iglesias, M., Torner, J., Perez-Mejias, C., and Haghipour, N.: Rapid northern hemisphere ice sheet melting during the penultimate deglaciation, Nat. Commun., 13, 1–16, 2022.
Stoll, H. M., Day, C., Lechleitner, F., Kost, O., Endres, L., Sliwinski, J., Pérez-Mejías, C., Cheng, H., and Scholz, D.: Distinguishing the combined vegetation and soil component of δ13C variation in speleothem records from subsequent degassing and prior calcite precipitation effects, ETH Zürich [data set], https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000630754, 2023.
Tang, J., Köhler, S. J., and Dietzel, M.: Sr2+/Ca2+ and 44Ca/40Ca fractionation during inorganic calcite formation: I. Sr incorporation, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 72, 3718–3732, 2008a.
Tang, J., Dietzel, M., Böhm, F., Köhler, S. J., and Eisenhauer, A.: Sr2+/Ca2+ and 44Ca/40Ca fractionation during inorganic calcite formation: II. Ca isotopes, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 72, 3733–3745, 2008b.
Tesoriero, A. J. and Pankow, J. F.: Solid solution partitioning of Sr2+, Ba2+, and Cd2+ to calcite, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 60, 1053–1063, 1996.
Tremaine, D. M. and Froelich, P. N.: Speleothem trace element signatures: a hydrologic geochemical study of modern cave dripwaters and farmed calcite, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 121, 522–545, 2013.
Tzedakis, P., Drysdale, R. N., Margari, V., Skinner, L. C., Menviel, L., Rhodes, R. H., Taschetto, A. S., Hodell, D. A., Crowhurst, S. J., and Hellstrom, J. C.: Enhanced climate instability in the North Atlantic and southern Europe during the Last Interglacial, Nat. Commun., 9, 4235, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06683-3, 2018.
Wassenburg, J. A., Riechelmann, S., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Riechelmann, D. F., Richter, D. K., Immenhauser, A., Terente, M., Constantin, S., Hachenberg, A., and Hansen, M.: Calcite Mg and Sr partition coefficients in cave environments: Implications for interpreting prior calcite precipitation in speleothems, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 269, 581–596, 2020.
Short summary
Stalagmites formed in caves provide valuable information about past changes in climate and vegetation conditions. In this contribution, we present a new method to better estimate past changes in soil and vegetation productivity using carbon isotopes and trace elements measured in stalagmites. Applying this method to other stalagmites should provide a better indication of past vegetation feedbacks to climate change.
Stalagmites formed in caves provide valuable information about past changes in climate and...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint