Large-scale carbon release from multiple sources caused an Early Jurassic hyperthermal event

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ~183 Ma) was one of the most significant hyperthermal events in the Phanerozoic, characterized by a series of climatic and environmental perturbations on land and in the oceans. The climate warming was accompanied by an abrupt negative carbon-isotope excursion (N-CIE) in the biospheric carbon reservoir, suggesting the driver of this event was the massive release of 12C-enriched carbon. However, the source, rate, and cumulative mass of carbon emitted during the T-OAE are poorly constrained, leaving the specific mechanisms of climate change uncertain. Here, we simultaneously assimilate atmospheric pCO2 reconstructions and carbon-isotope data from 24 well-constrained T-OAE profiles in an Earth system model to quantify carbon emission masses, rates, and sources. Our simulations suggest the emission of 10,900 Pg C across the event at rates of up to 0.8 Pg C yr-1. A clear pulse of extremely 12C-enriched carbon release occurred at the onset of the T-OAE, likely indicative of a biogenic (e.g., methane hydrate) source. This was followed by the release of carbon consistent with a magmatic source, with two transient pulses potentially indicative of thermogenic carbon emission superimposed on a protracted input of volcanic carbon. The complex pattern of carbon release revealed by our modeling emphasizes the interplay of both deep and surficial Earth processes in driving the T-OAE event. Negative carbon fluxes characterize the N-CIE recovery phase, underlining the crucial roles of enhanced continental weathering and massive burial of organic carbon in facilitating Earth system recovery from massive warming.