Stable Carbon Cycle-Climate Relationship During the Late Pleistocene.

A record of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO[sub 2]) concentrations measured on the EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) Dome Concordia ice core extends the Vostok CO[sub 2] record back to 650,000 years before the present (yr B.P.). Before 430,000 yr B.P., partial pressure of atmospheric CO[sub 2] lies within the range of 260 and 180 parts per million by volume. This range is almost 30% smaller than that of the last four glacial cycles; however, the apparent sensitivity between deuterium and CO[sub 2] remains stable throughout the six glacial cycles, suggesting that the relationship between CO[sub 2] and Antarctic climate remained rather constant over this interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]