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The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle focused on carbon and how it is sequestered in and moves between different reservoirs in the Earth system.
There are no good models for the chemical evolution of the Earth’s surface over the planet’s lifetime, because models typically overlook the progressive build-up of carbonate rocks in the crust. A new model that includes this accumulation enables the reconstruction of major oxygen and temperature trends throughout Earth’s history.
Isotopically depleted organic matter reported in ancient sediments on Mars could have been synthesized from CO produced due to photolysis of CO2 in the early Martian atmosphere.
The Southern Ocean carbon sink is projected to move poleward under a high emission scenario with increases in the Revelle Factor and carbon uptake that are biologically-driven in summertime and solubility-driven in wintertime linked to sea-ice melt, suggest CMIP6 Earth system model simulations.
The response of CO2 release from soils to warming is enhanced at thermokarst sites due to the lower soil substrate quality and higher microorganism abundance than non-thermokarst locations, according to in situ warming experiments at an upland thermokarst on the Tibetan Plateau.
When the Marinoan snowball Earth deglaciated, the ocean’s chemistry determined the strength and duration of the ensuing supergreenhouse climate, while the sudden warming and biological activity could have led to a rapid formation of cap dolostones.
There are no good models for the chemical evolution of the Earth’s surface over the planet’s lifetime, because models typically overlook the progressive build-up of carbonate rocks in the crust. A new model that includes this accumulation enables the reconstruction of major oxygen and temperature trends throughout Earth’s history.
The carbon emissions of large igneous province magmatism are commonly associated with severe environmental crises. We developed a technique that used sedimentary mercury records to estimate these carbon fluxes through time and found that they are smaller and/or slower than assumed, which suggests that the influence of carbon-cycle feedback processes is underestimated in current models.
Canal networks in Southeast Asian peatlands are zones of rapid, light-driven biogeochemical cycling. The canals increase carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and decrease organic carbon export to the ocean.
An integrated model of mineral weathering and carbon cycling reveals the substantial influence that clay minerals originating from the weathering of magnesium-rich rocks have on Earth’s climate. This research indicates that this clay-forming process contributed to each Palaeozoic glaciation.
Blue carbon will not solve climate change. The effect is too small; existing sediment carbon stock is a liability; and there is a timescale mismatch between ancient fossil fuel emissions and uptake by vegetation. Clearer communication would support informed decision-making.