Charcoal evidence that rising atmospheric oxygen terminated Early Jurassic ocean anoxia

Sarah J. Baker (), Stephen P. Hesselbo, Timothy M. Lenton, Luís V. Duarte and Claire M. Belcher
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Sarah J. Baker: wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter
Stephen P. Hesselbo: Deep time global change research group, Camborne School of Mines and Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter
Timothy M. Lenton: Earth System Science Group
Luís V. Duarte: MARE, Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra
Claire M. Belcher: wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) was characterized by a major disturbance to the global carbon(C)-cycle, and depleted oxygen in Earth’s oceans resulting in marine mass extinction. Numerical models predict that increased organic carbon burial should drive a rise in atmospheric oxygen (pO2) leading to termination of an OAE after ∼1 Myr. Wildfire is highly responsive to changes in pO2 implying that fire-activity should vary across OAEs. Here we test this hypothesis by tracing variations in the abundance of fossil charcoal across the T-OAE. We report a sustained ∼800 kyr enhancement of fire-activity beginning ∼1 Myr after the onset of the T-OAE and peaking during its termination. This major enhancement of fire occurred across the timescale of predicted pO2 variations, and we argue this was primarily driven by increased pO2. Our study provides the first fossil-based evidence suggesting that fire-feedbacks to rising pO2 may have aided in terminating the T-OAE.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15018

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