Glacial atmospheric CO2 decline in association with decrease of marine sedimentary phosphorus

The environmental and biogeochemical information extracted from the sediments collected from the northern shelf of the South China Sea shows that terrigenous inputs of phosphorus into the sea remained relatively constant, and the variation of phosphorus contents at different depths was caused by climatic and environmental changes. The findings also suggest that the vertical variation of phosphorus content was opposite to those of calcium carbonate and cadmium, and the functional correlation between CO₂ and PO ₄ ³⁻ in seawater was given by calculating the chemical equilibrium, indicating that the accumulation of marine sedimentary phosphorus may have something to do with the variation of atmospheric CO₂. The decreased phosphorus accumulation as well as the correspondingly-increased calcium carbonate content might be one of key factors causing glacial atmospheric CO₂ decline.