Page 11 - Earth's Climate Past and Future

CONTENTS

Preface xv 3-1 Volcanic Input of Carbon from Rocks
to the Atmosphere 47
PART I Framework of Climate Science 1 3-2 Removal of CO from the Atmosphere
2
by Chemical Weathering 48
CHAPTER 1 Overview of Climate Science 3 Climatic Factors That Control Chemical Weathering 50
Climate and Climate Change 4 Is Chemical Weathering Earth’s Thermostat? 51
1-1 Geologic Time 4 3-3 Greenhouse Role of Water Vapor 53
Tools of Climate Science Temperature Scales 5 Is Life the Ultimate Control on Earth’s Thermostat? 53
1-2 How This Book Is Organized 6 3-4 Gaia Hypothesis 53
Development of Climate Science 7 Looking Deeper into Climate Science Organic
1-3 How Scientists Study Climate Change 8 Carbon Subcycle 54
Was There a “Thermostat Malfunction”?
Overview of the Climate System 8
A Snowball Earth? 57
1-4 Components of the Climate System 8
1-5 Climate Forcing 10
CHAPTER 4 Plate Tectonics and
1-6 Climate System Responses 10
Long-Term Climate 59
1-7 Time Scales of Forcing Versus Response 12
Plate Tectonics 60
1-8 Differing Response Rates and
Climate-System Interactions 14 4-1 Structure and Composition
of Tectonic Plates 61
1-9 Feedbacks in the Climate System 15
4-2 Evidence of Past Plate Motions 62
Climate Interactions and Feedbacks Positive and
Negative Feedbacks 16 Polar Position Hypothesis 64
4-3 Glaciations and Continental Positions
CHAPTER 2 Climate Archives, Data, and Models 17 Since 500 Myr Ago 64
Climate Archives, Dating, and Resolution 18 Modeling Climate on the Supercontinent Pangaea 67
2-1 Types of Archives 18 4-4 Input to the Model Simulation
of Climate on Pangaea 67
2-2 Dating Climate Records 21
Looking Deeper into Climate Science Brief Glaciation
2-3 Climatic Resolution 25
440 Myr Ago 67
Climatic Data 26
4-5 Output from the Model Simulation
2-4 Biotic Data 27 of Climate on Pangaea 69
2-5 Geological and Geochemical Data 29
Tectonic Control of CO Input: BLAG
2
Climate Models 31 Spreading-Rate Hypothesis 71
2-6 Physical Climate Models 31 4-6 Control of CO Input by Seafloor
2
2-7 Geochemical Models 36 Spreading 71
4-7 Initial Evaluation of the BLAG
Spreading Rate Hypothesis 75
PART II Tectonic-Scale Climate Change 40 Tectonic Control of CO Removal: Uplift-
2
Weathering Hypothesis 75
CHAPTER 3CO and Long-Term Climate 43
2 4-8 Rock Exposure and Chemical
Greenhouse Worlds 44 Weathering 75
Faint Young Sun Paradox 45 4-9 Case Study: The Wind River Basin
Carbon Exchanges Between Rocks and the of Wyoming 75
Atmosphere 46 4-10 Uplift and Chemical Weathering 77

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