Chemical Weathering, Atmospheric CO 2 , and Climate

作者：Lee R. Kump, Susan L. Brantley, Michael A. Arthur · 发表于：Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · 年份：2000 · DOI：10.1146/annurev.earth.28.1.611 · 被引用次数：869 · 研究领域：Geology and Paleoclimatology Research、Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena、Geological and Geochemical Analysis

There has been considerable controversy concerning the role of chemical weathering in the regulation of the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and thus the strength of the greenhouse effect and global climate. Arguments center on the sensitivity of chemical weathering to climatic factors, especially temperature. Laboratory studies reveal a strong dependence of mineral dissolution on temperature, but the expression of this dependence in the field is often obscured by other environmental factors that co-vary with temperature. In the field, the clearest correlation is between chemical erosion rates and runoff, indicating an important dependence on the intensity of the hydrological cycle. Numerical models and interpretation of the geologic record reveal that chemical weathering has played a substantial role in both maintaining climatic stability over the eons as well as driving climatic swings in response to tectonic and paleogeographic factors.