Boron isotope evidence for oceanic carbon dioxide leakage during the last deglaciation

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution the oceans have absorbed an estimated 155 billion tonnes of carbon, about 30% of the total human emissions. The present atmospheric CO2 concentrations, approximately 400 parts per million, have not been seen on Earth since the Pliocene, around 3 million years ago, and the rate of increase is unprecedented in the period of on-off glaciers we have had since.

Humanity is performing a large scale experiment with the Earth, and the consequences are already being seen in the form of increased atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, raising sea levels and ocean acidification, to name a few.

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Miguel Martinez-Boti Visiting Researcher, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton

Gianluca Marino Researcher in Oceans & Climate Change, Australian National University