Article Abstract:
As the luminosity of the sun increases and warms the earth, atmospheric carbon dioxide will eventually decrease below the level necessary for photosynthesis and life will end on the Earth. The decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is caused by the increased weathering of silicate rocks, which is induced by the raised temperature. A model incorporating the greenhouse effect and the photosynthesis requirements of C4 plants predicts that the biosphere will last another 0.9 to 1.5 billion years, depending on whether increased temperature or decreased CO2 is the deciding factor.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Article Abstract:
The warming of the Earth soon after it formed probably prevented the onset of an interminable glacial climate due to highly reflective carbon dioxide (CO2) clouds and the Sun's much less intense output of heat at the time. The suggestion that an early greenhouse effect stabilized the Earth's climate does not explain why the oceans failed to freeze before the greenhouse gases could accumulate. Paleoclimatic simulations indicate that Earth may have narrowly escaped being rendered uninhabitable by world-wide glaciation thanks to either internal heat or additional greenhouse gases.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Article Abstract:
The hypothesis that the rise of the Tibetan plateau helped to lower global temperatures by increasing the quantity of carbon dioxide(CO2)-absorbing silicate rock is questionable. The numerical data underlying this hypothesis are incomplete. Moreover, the implication that CO2 fluctuations are linked to geological weathering is unproven. However, the rebuttal view is that some carbon cycle models do relate to silicate and carbonate weathering. The hypothesis agrees well with the geological data.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic: