Continents play a bigger role in the evolution of the climate
ARTICLES
Stimulus Material for depth studies , courtesy of Macquarie University
Continents play a bigger role in the evolution of the climate
Carbon dioxide stored slowly in the deep solid earth and released rapidly from continents has had a much greater role in shaping climate variations than previously thought .
New research , published in Nature Geoscience , reveals continents are 100-150 times more important than previously realised in releasing carbon into the atmosphere through volcanoes and along faults .
Macquarie University ’ s Stephen Foley ( Earth and Planetary Sciences ), who co-authored the research , says this places continental processes firmly in the spotlight .
“ We know that carbon dioxide is important in the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas , but there is much more in the solid Earth than in the atmosphere ,” he said .
“ However , we don ’ t know much about how the two systems are linked , meaning at what rates how much of the carbon dioxide within the Earth is released into the atmosphere , or by which mechanisms .”
Find out more
Syllabus links : Investigating Science : Module 7 - How does the reporting of science influence the general public ’ s understanding of the subject ?
E & E Science : Module 5 - What effect does the plate tectonic supercycle have on the Earth ?
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
16 SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 3