Weathering is an important biogeochemical process that is both influenced by and influences climate over the course of Earth history. Weathering processes control the flux of solutes and many nutrients to the oceans and the marine and terrestrial biospheres, and the transfer of carbon from the ocean-atmosphere system to sedimentary rocks. Weathering rates are dependent on climate, among several factors, and vary widely across the Earth’s surface. In turn, weathering processes can alter the atmospheric concentrations of the important greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Weathering processes thus have the potential to act as a climate feedback, an idea that has been important in our understanding of the long-term evolution and stabilization of the Earth’s climate for over 150 years.
“Weathering” refers to the chemical alteration of rock and sedimentary deposits under sub-aerial conditions at the Earth’s surface. While some analogous processes occur in the oceanic crust during low temperature...
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Derry, L.A. (2009). Weathering and Climate. In: Gornitz, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_228
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