Did early land plants produce a stepwise change in atmospheric oxygen during the Late Ordovician (Sandbian ~458 Ma)?

• Published in: Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology Vol. 534; p. 109341
• Main Authors: Adiatma, Y. Datu, Saltzman, Matthew R., Young, Seth A., Griffith, Elizabeth M., Kozik, Nevin P., Edwards, Cole T., Leslie, Stephen A., Bancroft, Alyssa M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.11.2019
• Subjects: Appalachian Basin; Carbon isotopes; Chemostratigraphy; Land plants; Oxygenation; Strontium isotopes; Land plants; Oxygenation; Appalachian Basin; Carbon isotopes; Strontium isotopes; Chemostratigraphy

A stepwise change in atmospheric oxygen (O2) levels during the Ordovician has been attributed to the emergence of land plants. This phenomenon is tied to a major baseline shift in the stable carbon isotope (δ13C) curve and inferred increase in nutrient delivery and enhanced primary productivity in n...