Articles | Volume 18, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1149-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1149-2021
Research article
 | 
15 Feb 2021
Research article |  | 15 Feb 2021

Alkenone isotopes show evidence of active carbon concentrating mechanisms in coccolithophores as aqueous carbon dioxide concentrations fall below 7 µmol L−1

Marcus P. S. Badger

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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (07 Dec 2020) by Jack Middelburg
AR by Marcus P. S. Badger on behalf of the Authors (06 Jan 2021)  Author's response    Author's tracked changes    Manuscript
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (08 Jan 2021) by Jack Middelburg
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Short summary
Reconstructing ancient atmospheric CO2 is an important aim of palaeoclimate science in order to understand the Earth's climate system. One method, the alkenone proxy based on molecular fossils of coccolithophores, has been recently shown to be ineffective at low-to-moderate CO2 levels. In this paper I show that this is likely due to changes in the biogeochemistry of the coccolithophores when there is low carbon availability, but for much of the Cenozoic the alkenone proxy should have utility.
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