Continuous sterane and phytane δ13C record reveals a substantial pCO2 decline since the mid-Miocene

Constraining the relationship between temperature and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide ( p CO 2 ) is essential to model near-future climate. Here, we reconstruct p CO 2 values over the past 15 million years (Myr), providing a series of analogues for possible near-future temperatures and p CO 2 , from a single continuous site (DSDP Site 467, California coast). We reconstruct p CO 2 values using sterane and phytane, compounds that many phytoplankton produce and then become fossilised in sediment. From 15.0-0.3 Myr ago, our reconstructed p CO 2 values steadily decline from 650 ± 150 to 280 ± 75 ppmv, mirroring global temperature decline. Using our new range of p CO 2 values, we calculate average Earth system sensitivity and equilibrium climate sensitivity, resulting in 13.9 °C and 7.2 °C per doubling of p CO 2 , respectively. These values are significantly higher than IPCC global warming estimations, consistent or higher than some recent state-of-the-art climate models, and consistent with other proxy-based estimates. Molecular fossils from marine phytoplankton reveal a substantial decline in CO2 values over the past 15 million years and may support higher climate sensitivity than previously reported.