Making the case for an international decade of radiocarbon

• Verfasst von: Eglinton, Timothy Ian [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Graven, Heather D. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Raymond, Peter A. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Trumbore, Susan E. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Aluwihare, Lihini [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Bard, Edouard [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Basu, Sourish [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Friedlingstein, Pierre [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Hammer, Samuel [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Lester, Joanna [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Sanderman, Jonathan [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Schuur, Edward A. G. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Sierra, Carlos A. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Synal, Hans-Arno [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Turnbull, Jocelyn C. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Wacker, Lukas [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Making the case for an international decade of radiocarbon
• Verf.angabe: Timothy I. Eglinton, Heather D. Graven, Peter A. Raymond, Susan E. Trumbore, Lihini Aluwihare, Edouard Bard, Sourish Basu, Pierre Friedlingstein, Samuel Hammer, Joanna Lester, Jonathan Sanderman, Edward A. G. Schuur, Carlos A. Sierra, Hans-Arno Synal, Jocelyn C. Turnbull and Lukas Wacker
• E-Jahr: 2023
• Jahr: 27 November 2023
• Umfang: 9 S.
• Illustrationen: Illustrationen
• Fussnoten: Veröffentlicht: 09. Oktober 2023 ; Gesehen am 05.08.2024
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society. A, Mathematical, physical and engineering sciences
• Ort Quelle: London : Royal Society, 1996
• Jahr Quelle: 2023
• Band/Heft Quelle: 381(2023), 2261 vom: Nov., Artikel-ID 20230081, Seite 1-9
• ISSN Quelle: 1471-2962
• DOI: doi:10.1098/rsta.2023.0081
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: Anthropocene
• Sach-SW: bomb 14C
• Sach-SW: carbon cycle
• Sach-SW: climate change
• Sach-SW: fossil fuels
• Sach-SW: radiocarbon (14C)
• K10plus-PPN: 1897720327

Abstract

Radiocarbon (14C) is a critical tool for understanding the global carbon cycle. During the Anthropocene, two new processes influenced 14C in atmospheric, land and ocean carbon reservoirs. First, 14C-free carbon derived from fossil fuel burning has diluted 14C, at rates that have accelerated with time. Second, ‘bomb’ 14C produced by atmospheric nuclear weapon tests in the mid-twentieth century provided a global isotope tracer that is used to constrain rates of air-sea gas exchange, carbon turnover, large-scale atmospheric and ocean transport, and other key C cycle processes. As we write, the 14C/12C ratio of atmospheric CO2 is dropping below pre-industrial levels, and the rate of decline in the future will depend on global fossil fuel use and net exchange of bomb 14C between the atmosphere, ocean and land. This milestone coincides with a rapid increase in 14C measurement capacity worldwide. Leveraging future 14C measurements to understand processes and test models requires coordinated international effort—a ‘decade of radiocarbon’ with multiple goals: (i) filling observational gaps using archives, (ii) building and sustaining observation networks to increase measurement density across carbon reservoirs, (iii) developing databases, synthesis and modelling tools and (iv) establishing metrics for identifying and verifying changes in carbon sources and sinks. - - This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Radiocarbon in the Anthropocene'.