“CO2 jumps” are sudden increases in CO2 in the atmosphere discovered in climate archives around ten years ago. From the beginning, they have been linked to disturbances in the Atlantic ocean circulation called AMOC which, by modifying the distribution of temperatures and precipitation on the globe, transform certain carbon sinks into sources. But until now, the cause of the inconstancy of these jumps remained obscure: certain disturbances in the AMOC triggered these increases in CO2, while others had no effect.
Earth's obliquity: a key factor for CO2 jumps
Thanks to the sampling of the EPICA Dome C ice core in Antarctica, a new study identifies terrestrial obliquity as an essential parameter. Out of 22 CO2 jumps identified, 18 occur during periods of high obliquity, that is to say when the Earth's inclination is more pronounced. How can we explain this link between oceanic disturbance, tilt of the Earth and sudden release of CO2? Could a new CO2 jump happen soon? Answers with Etienne Legrain, paleoclimatologist at the Free University of Brussels. He is the first author of this study carried out at the Institute of Environmental Geosciences in Grenoble and published in Nature Geoscience and co-author of a popular article on the subject in The Conversation.
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