Response to comment on "atmospheric PCO2 perturbations associated with the central atlantic magmatic province"

Abstract

Rampino and Caldeira argue that the first pulse of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province would increase the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (PCO2) by only 400 parts per million if erupted over 20,000 years, whereas we observed a doubling within this interval. In the absence of any data to the contrary, we suggest that a more rapid (≤1000-year) eruption is sufficient to explain this observation without relying on thermogenic degassing.