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Isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2 inferred from carbon in C4 plant cellulose

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Abstract

The isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide provides an important constraint for models of the global carbon cycle. It is shown that carbon in C4 plants preserves an isotopic record of the C02 used in photosynthesis. Data for the maize plant Zea mays yield results for the isotopic composition of atmospheric C02 consistent with measurements of modern air and air trapped in polar ice. Data from C4 plants may thus be used to extend the isotopic record of atmospheric C02 into the past, complementing data from other sources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    Bruno D. Marino & Michael B. McElroy

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  1. Bruno D. Marino
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  2. Michael B. McElroy
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Marino, B., McElroy, M. Isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2 inferred from carbon in C4 plant cellulose. Nature 349, 127–131 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349127a0

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