A better theoretical and practical understanding of the linkage between paleo-CO2 and climate during geological history is important to enhance the sustainable development of modern human society. Development in plant...A better theoretical and practical understanding of the linkage between paleo-CO2 and climate during geological history is important to enhance the sustainable development of modern human society. Development in plant physiology since the 1980s has led to the realization that fossil plants can serve as a proxy for paleoatmosphere and paleobiosphere. As a relict gymnosperm with evolutionary stasis, Ginkgo is well suited for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This paper analyzes fossil Ginkgo species from integrated strata in the north of China using anatomic data of plant physiology. Using stomatal parameters, a trend for the paleo-CO2 level during the Early-Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous was obtained, which is consistent with the estimates by GEOCARB. The trend is also similar to that of Mean Global Surface Temperature in geological time. Compared with three other atmospheric CO2 concentration parameters, the trend of paleo-CO2 level based on the stomatal parameter of the fossil Ginkgo specimens from three contiguous strata is more exact.展开更多
The Yah＇an Formation of the Ordos Basin is a sequence of four members, consisting of si- liciclastic sediments deposited in alluvial, lacustrine and mire settings during the Middle Jurassic. Samples collected from Me...The Yah＇an Formation of the Ordos Basin is a sequence of four members, consisting of si- liciclastic sediments deposited in alluvial, lacustrine and mire settings during the Middle Jurassic. Samples collected from Members Two and Four contain abundant blackened plant material identified through standard analytical techniques as fusain （fossil charcoal）. The occurrence of fusain in fluvial sandstones at multiple horizons in the outcrops, combined with the previously reported high concentra- tion of inertinite in the coals of Member One, indicates that paleowildfire was a common occurrence in the Ordos Basin during Yan＇an deposition. Sedimentary evidence from Yan＇an outcrops suggests that the paleoclimate was seasonal during deposition of Members Two through Four, which may have contributed to the wildfire frequency. The presence of fusain in the Yah＇an Formation indicates that atmospheric oxygen levels were clearly above the minimum required for sustained combustion during the Middle Jurassic. This conclusion contradicts previous geochemical models for paleoatmospheric composition, but supports more recent studies.展开更多
The Middle Jurassic is characterized by major plate tectonic changes,variable atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations(pCO_(2)),and climate oscillations in both marine and terrestrial realms.However,the limited evidence from ...The Middle Jurassic is characterized by major plate tectonic changes,variable atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations(pCO_(2)),and climate oscillations in both marine and terrestrial realms.However,the limited evidence from the terrestrial sedimentary records hampers a comprehensive understanding of global climate state in this period.Well-exposed strata of the Shaximiao Formation in the Sichuan Basin,Southwest China,preserve successions of paleosols that offer the possibility of evaluating the terrestrial paleoclimatic changes during the Middle Jurassic(Bajocian to Callovian).A total of 151 paleosol profiles belonging to four paleosol types(Entisol-like,Inceptisol-like,Aridisol-like and argillic Inceptisol-like paleosols)were identified and characterized.The quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions based on the bulk geochemistry of paleosol horizons and depths of carbonate nodules indicate a generally semiarid-subhumid climate alternating with arid-humid and cool/warm-temperate climates during this time interval.This dynamic climate terminated in a dry,subhumid,humid/perhumid and superhumid moisture regime characterized by steppe/wet or rain forest floral provinces.We suggest that these climatic fluctuations may have been related to global geodynamic(e.g.,the fragmentation of Pangea,“megamonsoonal”circulation,and bolide impacts)and regional tectonic uplift(e.g.,the uplift of the Longmenshan Mountains in the South China Block)during the Middle Jurassic.The pCO_(2)estimates suggest relatively low pCO_(2)levels within the range of~100 ppm-~890 ppm during the Bajocian to Callovian.Our results coincide with the threshold for the initiation of glaciation and may help to explain the occurrence of cool intervals in the generally warm Jurassic.These pCO_(2)fluctuations,which coincide with paleotemperature variations in the low paleolatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere,are possibly attributable to global geological events(e.g.,wildfire events,eustatic sea-level oscillations,and the transient development of glaciations)in the Middle Jurassic.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(No.2006CB701400)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.40372012,40772012)the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy,Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.063101).
文摘A better theoretical and practical understanding of the linkage between paleo-CO2 and climate during geological history is important to enhance the sustainable development of modern human society. Development in plant physiology since the 1980s has led to the realization that fossil plants can serve as a proxy for paleoatmosphere and paleobiosphere. As a relict gymnosperm with evolutionary stasis, Ginkgo is well suited for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This paper analyzes fossil Ginkgo species from integrated strata in the north of China using anatomic data of plant physiology. Using stomatal parameters, a trend for the paleo-CO2 level during the Early-Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous was obtained, which is consistent with the estimates by GEOCARB. The trend is also similar to that of Mean Global Surface Temperature in geological time. Compared with three other atmospheric CO2 concentration parameters, the trend of paleo-CO2 level based on the stomatal parameter of the fossil Ginkgo specimens from three contiguous strata is more exact.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program 2012CB821901)National Natural Science Foundation of China(40772006)the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy,Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Programs(20102108,20101104)
文摘The Yah＇an Formation of the Ordos Basin is a sequence of four members, consisting of si- liciclastic sediments deposited in alluvial, lacustrine and mire settings during the Middle Jurassic. Samples collected from Members Two and Four contain abundant blackened plant material identified through standard analytical techniques as fusain （fossil charcoal）. The occurrence of fusain in fluvial sandstones at multiple horizons in the outcrops, combined with the previously reported high concentra- tion of inertinite in the coals of Member One, indicates that paleowildfire was a common occurrence in the Ordos Basin during Yan＇an deposition. Sedimentary evidence from Yan＇an outcrops suggests that the paleoclimate was seasonal during deposition of Members Two through Four, which may have contributed to the wildfire frequency. The presence of fusain in the Yah＇an Formation indicates that atmospheric oxygen levels were clearly above the minimum required for sustained combustion during the Middle Jurassic. This conclusion contradicts previous geochemical models for paleoatmospheric composition, but supports more recent studies.
基金support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41901066and 41771248)the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2012CB822003)。
文摘The Middle Jurassic is characterized by major plate tectonic changes,variable atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations(pCO_(2)),and climate oscillations in both marine and terrestrial realms.However,the limited evidence from the terrestrial sedimentary records hampers a comprehensive understanding of global climate state in this period.Well-exposed strata of the Shaximiao Formation in the Sichuan Basin,Southwest China,preserve successions of paleosols that offer the possibility of evaluating the terrestrial paleoclimatic changes during the Middle Jurassic(Bajocian to Callovian).A total of 151 paleosol profiles belonging to four paleosol types(Entisol-like,Inceptisol-like,Aridisol-like and argillic Inceptisol-like paleosols)were identified and characterized.The quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions based on the bulk geochemistry of paleosol horizons and depths of carbonate nodules indicate a generally semiarid-subhumid climate alternating with arid-humid and cool/warm-temperate climates during this time interval.This dynamic climate terminated in a dry,subhumid,humid/perhumid and superhumid moisture regime characterized by steppe/wet or rain forest floral provinces.We suggest that these climatic fluctuations may have been related to global geodynamic(e.g.,the fragmentation of Pangea,“megamonsoonal”circulation,and bolide impacts)and regional tectonic uplift(e.g.,the uplift of the Longmenshan Mountains in the South China Block)during the Middle Jurassic.The pCO_(2)estimates suggest relatively low pCO_(2)levels within the range of~100 ppm-~890 ppm during the Bajocian to Callovian.Our results coincide with the threshold for the initiation of glaciation and may help to explain the occurrence of cool intervals in the generally warm Jurassic.These pCO_(2)fluctuations,which coincide with paleotemperature variations in the low paleolatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere,are possibly attributable to global geological events(e.g.,wildfire events,eustatic sea-level oscillations,and the transient development of glaciations)in the Middle Jurassic.
