Enhanced phosphorus weathering contributed to Late Miocene cooling

作者：Yi Zhong, Zhiguo Li, Xuefa Shi, Terry T. Isson, Jimin Yu, Sev Kender, Zhou Liang, George E. A. Swann, Alex Pullen, Michael E Weber, Jinlong Du, Juan C. Larrasoaña, Jingyu Zhang, Yafang Song, Javier González, Stefanie Kaboth‐Bahr, Li Hai, Qi Zhang, Debo Zhao, Wei Cao, Mingyu Zhao, Qingsong Liu · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-025-56477-7 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Geology and Paleoclimatology Research、Karst Systems and Hydrogeology、Geological formations and processes

Late Miocene climate evolution provides an opportunity to assess Earth’s climate sensitivity to carbon cycle perturbation under warmer-than-modern conditions. Despite its relevance for understanding the climate system, the driving mechanisms underlying profound climate and carbon cycle changes – including the enigmatic Late Miocene cooling from 7 to 5.4 million years ago – remain unclear. Here, we present magnetic and geochemical paleoceanographic proxies from a hydrogenetic ferromanganese crust retrieved in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Our results indicate a striking 50% surge in deep ocean phosphorus concentrations occurred 7 – 4 million years ago, synchronous with enhanced deep ocean oxygen consumption. Employing a global biogeochemical model, we show that increased continental phosphorus weathering, without a concurrent rise in silicate weathering, contributed to the decline in atmospheric CO2 and associated cooling over the Late Miocene. This suggests a prominent decoupling of phosphorus and silicate weathering during a major carbon cycling event over the last 10 million years. West Pacific ferromanganese crust provides new insights to Late Miocene Cooling associated with the increased continental phosphorus weathering.