Atmospheric pCO2 control on speleothem stable carbon isotope compositions

The stable carbon isotope compositions of C3 plants are controlled by the carbon isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 (δ13Ca) and by the stomatal response to water stress. These relationships permit the reconstruction of ancient environments and assessment of the water use efficiency of forests. It is currently debated whether the δ13C values of C3 plants are also controlled by atmospheric pCO2. Here I show that globally-averaged speleothem δ13C values closely track atmospheric pCO2 over the past 90 kyr. After accounting for other possible effects, this coupling is best explained by a C3 plant δ13C sensitivity of −1.6±0.3‰/100 ppmV CO2 during the Quaternary. This is consistent with 20th century European forest tree ring δ13C records, providing confidence in the result and suggesting that the modest pCO2-driven increase in water use efficiency determined for those ecosystems and simulated by land surface models accurately approximates the global average response. The δ13C signal from C3 plants is transferred to speleothems relatively rapidly. Thus, the effect of atmospheric pCO2 should be subtracted from new and existing speleothem δ13C records so that residual δ13C shifts can be interpreted in light of the other factors known to control spleleothem δ13C values. Furthermore, global average speleothem δ13C shifts may be used to develop a continuous radiometric chronology for Pleistocene atmospheric pCO2 fluctuations and, by correlation, ice core climate records.