Soil Carbon Isotope Values and Paleoprecipitation Reconstruction

Anthropogenic climate change has significant impacts at the ecosystem scale including widespread drought, flooding, and other natural disasters related to precipitation extremes. To contextualize modern change, scientists often look ancient changes, such as shifts in ranges. Previous studies have used fossil leaf organic geochemistry paleosol inorganic chemistry paleoprecipitation proxies, but largely ignored soil layer, which acts a bridge between aboveground biomass belowground carbon accumulation, potential recorder of precipitation. We investigate relationship stable isotope values matter (δ13CSOM) variety seasonal annual parameters ecosystems find statistically δ13CSOM mean (MAP). After testing actual reconstructed systems, we test this proxy geologic record by comparing using estimates from same paleosols. This study provides promising new that can be applied post-Devonian (∼420 Ma) Miocene (∼23 Ma), mixed C3/C4 with additional paleobotanical palynological information. It also extends reconstruction more weakly developed types, those lacking B- horizons, than previous proxies is calibrated for wetter environments.