Enhanced terrestrial carbon export from East Antarctica during the early Eocene

This mechanism might help to modulate atmospheric CO2 levels over short- and long- timescales (10(3)-10(6) years), but its importance during past warm climates remains unknown. Here we use terrestrial biomarkers preserved in coastal marine sediment samples from Wilkes Land, East Antarctica (similar to 67 degrees S) to quantify TerrOC burial during the early Eocene (similar to 54.4-51.5 Ma).

Terrestrial biomarker distributions indicate the delivery of plant-, soil-, and peat-derived organic carbon (OC) into the marine realm. Mass accumulation rates of plant- (long-chain n-alkane) and soil-derived (hopane) biomarkers dramatically increase between the earliest Eocene (similar to 54 Ma) and the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO; similar to 53 Ma). This coincides with increased OC mass accumulation rates and indicates enhanced TerrOC burial during the EECO.