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Unraveling the Cenozoic carbon cycle by reconstructing carbonate compensation depth (CCD)

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Abstract

The Carbonate Compensation Depth (CCD) refers to the depth within the ocean where the production and dissolution rates of carbonates reach equilibrium, widely likened to the oceanic calcareous ‘snowline’. The reconstruction of deep-time CCD has significant implications for understanding ocean circulation, seawater chemical conditions, sediment distribution, and the surface carbon cycle. This paper critically reviews the methods for CCD reconstruction, summarizes the driving mechanisms of the Cenozoic CCD evolution and its association with the carbon cycle, and offers insights into future directions for CCD research. CCD reconstruction has evolved over the past half century from early qualitative to quantitative methods. These methodological improvements have markedly improved the accuracy and resolution of CCD. Existing studies have indicated a general trend of the CCD deepening across major ocean basins since the Cenozoic, interspersed with a minor shallowing phase during the mid-Miocene. The variations in the CCD are primarily influenced by factors such as ocean productivity, weathering, and shelf-basin partitioning. During climate events such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the CCD exhibits pulselike fluctuations. Future research should focus on precision and quantification while integrating model simulations to further explore the correlations and response mechanisms between the CCD and the paleoclimate as well as the carbon cycle.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Prof. Zhimin JIAN, and two anonymous reviewers for their comments that greatly improved the manuscript. We thank Prof. Zhifei LIU, Prof. Chao MA and Dr. Pengfei MA for their constructive discussions and useful suggestions. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42050102).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Mineral Deposit Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nan**g University, Nan**g, 210023, China

    Kaixun **ao, **umian Hu, **gxin Jiang & Jiahao Wang

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  1. Kaixun **ao
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  2. **umian Hu
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  3. **gxin Jiang
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  4. Jiahao Wang
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Correspondence to **umian Hu.

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**ao, K., Hu, X., Jiang, J. et al. Unraveling the Cenozoic carbon cycle by reconstructing carbonate compensation depth (CCD). Sci. China Earth Sci. 67, 1743–1758 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-023-1291-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-023-1291-5

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