Volcanoes have been acting as a safety valve for Earth's long-term climate: Research

Researchers of the University of Southampton have found concrete evidence to establish that volcanoes are responsible for maintaining temperatures at Earth's surface. The scientists also noted that it is the volcano that acts as a safety valve for Earth's long-term climate. The latest findings which were published in the journal 'Nature Geoscience' found that widespread series of volcanoes have been responsible for both emitting and then extracting climatic carbon dioxide (CO2) over geological time. According to the journal, scientists from the University of Leeds, University of Southampton, University of Sydney, Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Ottawa have contributed to the latest finding that explored the combined impact of processes in the Earth, oceans and atmosphere over the past 400 million years.

They found that the natural break-down and dissolution of rocks at Earth's surface (chemical weathering) flushes elements like calcium and magnesium via rivers to the oceans. Later, they form minerals that lock up CO2. "In this respect, weathering of the Earth's surface serves as a geological thermostat," said lead author Dr Tom Gernon, Associate Professor in Earth Science at the University of Southampton, and a Fellow of the Turing Institute. "But the underlying controls have proven difficult to determine due to the complexity of the Earth system," added Dr Gernon. "Many Earth processes are interlinked, and there are some major time lags between processes and their effects," explained Eelco Rohling, Professor in Ocean and Climate Change at ANU and co-author of the study.

Research throws uncertainty on a long-held theory

"Understanding the relative influence of specific processes within the Earth system response has therefore been an intractable problem," continued Rohling. The team, further constructed a novel "Earth network", combining machine-learning algorithms and plate tectonic restoration. The research throws uncertainty on a long-held theory that Earth's atmosphere balance over tens to hundreds of millions of years exhibits equilibrium between weathering of the seafloor and continental interiors. "The idea of such a geological tug of war between the landmasses and the seafloor as a dominant driver of Earth surface weathering is not supported by the data," stated Dr Gernon. "Unfortunately, the results do not mean that nature will save us from climate change," stressed Dr Gernon. "Today, atmospheric CO2 levels are higher than at any time in the past 3 million years, and human-driven emissions are about 150 times larger than volcanic CO2 emissions," explained Dr Gernon.

(With inputs from Nature Geoscience journal)

(Image Credit: AP)