Study Examines Rock Weathering's Impact on Climate Change

Earth scientists have recognized since the early 1980s that the erosion and weathering of rock can remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, influencing Earth's climate over geological timescales. Recent studies indicate that erosion may also release CO2 by oxidizing organic carbon in eroding sediments. A new study published in Nature Communications, led by Doctor Madeleine Stow from the University of Oxford and colleagues from the UK and France, investigates these competing effects by examining the Toarcian Ocean Anoxic Event, a volcanically triggered period of global warming that occurred approximately 183 million years ago during the early Jurassic period. The findings suggest that eroding organic carbon contributed to climate warming during this event, indicating a possible parallel to contemporary climate change, although the applicability of past events to current conditions remains uncertain.