Evolution of the Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Regulation on Earth (Global Geochemical Cycles, 2019)

• Edward Bolton

Full Citation:
Isson, T. T., Planavsky, N. J., Coogan, L. A., Stewart, E. M., Ague, J. J., Bolton, E. W., Zhang, S., McKenzie, N. R., & Kump, L. R. (2020). Evolution of the Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Regulation on Earth. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gb006061

Abstract:
The existence of stabilizing feedbacks within Earth's climate system is generally thought to be necessary for the persistence of liquid water and life. Over the course of Earth's history, Earth's atmospheric composition appears to have adjusted to the gradual increase in solar luminosity, resulting in persistently habitable surface temperatures. With limited exceptions, the Earth system has been observed to recover rapidly from pulsed climatic perturbations. Carbon dioxide (CO2) regulation via negative feedbacks within the coupled global carbon‐silica cycles are classically viewed as the main processes giving rise to climate stability on Earth. Here we review the long‐term global carbon cycle budget, and how the processes modulating Earth's climate system have evolved over time. Specifically, we focus on the relative roles that shifts in carbon sources and sinks have played in driving long‐term changes in atmospheric pCO2.

URL:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018GB006061

VPL Research Tasks:
Task B: The Earth Through Time