Abstract

The Earth has been inhabited by life for around 85–90% of its existence. Given that life requires fairly narrow chemical and climatic conditions to survive, this means that Earth’s environment has been extremely stable for most of its existence. In turn, this requires active climate-mitigating processes. In particular, the Earth’s “weathering thermostat” may be such a process, but we have little knowledge of how it operates, or the rates at which it might control climate. This talk will examine new evidence and climate models from the geological record, to determine in particular the efficiency of this potential control.

All welcome to attend, free for members of the Sedgwick Club, £2 for non-members. Refreshments provided!