Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom
August 2018
Rationale: Subambient pCO has persisted across the major Phanerozoic ice ages, including the entire late Cenozoic (ca 30 Ma to present). Stable isotope analysis of plant-derived organic matter is used to infer changes in pCO and climate in the geologic past, but a growth chamber that can precisely control environmental conditions, including pCO and δ C value of CO (δ C ) at subambient pCO , is lacking.
Methods: We designed and built five identical chambers specifically for plant growth under stable subambient pCO (ca 100 to 400 ppm) and δ C conditions.