Landmark paper shows first accurate reconstruction of atmospheric CO2 across the last 66 million years

14 December 2023

A landmark paper by an international consortium of scientists has, for the first time, provided an accurate reconstruction of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) across the last 66 million years.

Dr David Naafs and Dr Caitlyn Witkowski of the School of Chemistry's Organic Geochemistry Unit were among the contributors to the research, which was published in the Science journal.

The newly constructed record provides novel evidence for higher Earth system sensitivity in the past and for the role of CO2 thresholds in biological and cryosphere evolution.

According to the editor of the journal, the synthesis described in the paper provides the most complete record of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the age of mammals yet available and will help to better establish the role of carbon dioxide in climate, biological, and cryosphere evolution.

Further information

Toward a Cenozoic history of atmospheric CO2, Science Vol. 382. Issue 6675. 2023.