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Abstract

The stable carbon isotope compositions of ancient soil carbonate and coexisting soil organic matter indicate that atmospheric CO2 levels decreased by a factor of 10 during the middle to late Paleozoic era. Proxy measurements of CO2 were made by application of a soil carbonate CO2 paleobarometer to a suite of paleosols that share key physical and chemical characteristics. The estimates agree with theoretical models that imply that a decrease in Paleozoic atmospheric CO2 levels was associated with afforestation of the land surface by terrestrial plants and with global climate change leading to the extensive Permo-Carboniferous glaciation.

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Published In

Science
Volume 271 | Issue 5252
23 February 1996

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Published in print: 23 February 1996

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Claudia I. Mora(1)
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Steven G. Driese
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Lee Ann Colarusso
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.

Notes

(1)
To whom correspondence should be addresssed.

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