Articles | Volume 18, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4475-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4475-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Paleozoic–Mesozoic terrestrial total organic carbon and organic carbon isotope database
Yaokai Tian
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Daoliang Chu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Jiankang Lai
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Xiang Shu
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Cidong Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Fangyu Cui
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Liangyu Lou
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Xiaokang Liu
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Yuyang Wu
College of Marine Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Qingzhong Liang
School of Computer Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Xinchuan Li
School of Computer Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
School of Computer Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 675–690, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-675-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-675-2026, 2026
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This study presents a global database of nitrogen isotope data from ancient ocean sediments, covering Earth's history from the present back to billions of years ago. The database includes over 70 000 nitrogen isotope records from 417 studies, along with essential geological context and related chemical data. This database will help reveal the mechanisms behind critical events like mass extinctions and major ocean changes, enhancing our understanding of Earth's long-term environmental processes.
Xiang Shu, Haijun Song, Yong Lei, Daoliang Chu, Jacopo Dal Corso, Xiaokang Liu, Qin Ye, Hanchen Song, Lai Wei, Enhao Jia, Yan Feng, Yong Du, Huyue Song, Wenchao Yu, Qingzhong Liang, Xinchuan Li, Hong Yao, and Yuyang Wu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 3567–3582, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3567-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3567-2025, 2025
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Building on the foundation of Palynodata, the Global Acritarch Database (GAD) added 29 new fields, 4531 new entries, 2 238 366 new metadata points, and 415 new references, resulting in a database comprising 115 860 entries, 43 fields, 3 050 852 metadata points, and 7791 references. GAD represents records from 1146 different sampling sites spanning geological history from the Precambrian to the Phanerozoic, and the fossil records include 1456 genera and 9865 species (excluding sp.).
Jiankang Lai, Haijun Song, Daoliang Chu, Jacopo Dal Corso, Erik A. Sperling, Yuyang Wu, Xiaokang Liu, Lai Wei, Mingtao Li, Hanchen Song, Yong Du, Enhao Jia, Yan Feng, Huyue Song, Wenchao Yu, Qingzhong Liang, Xinchuan Li, and Hong Yao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1613–1626, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1613-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1613-2025, 2025
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The Deep-Time Marine Sedimentary Element Database (DM-SED) expands upon the Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project (SGP) database, totalling 63 627 entries and covering major and trace elements and some stable isotopes in ancient marine sediments. This database is not only a significant reference for reconstructing Earth's system evolution but is also a valuable resource for studying palaeo-environments, palaeo-climates, and geochemical cycles.
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Short summary
Understanding how carbon moved through ancient environments helps reconstruct past climates and predict future trends. We compiled a global database of total organic carbon and organic carbon isotope measurements from ancient land sediments spanning 350 million years. This collection of over 66 000 data points from 619 publications provides a unified resource to study carbon accumulation on ancient continents, climate shifts, and how these changes influenced life on Earth.
Understanding how carbon moved through ancient environments helps reconstruct past climates and...
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