Weathering and the global carbon cycle: Geomorphological perspectives

The links between the weathering of silicate minerals, the global carbon cycle and climate change are complex and involve a whole range of often inter-related tectonic, climatic, geomorphological and biological factors. Silicate weathering rates are known to have varied through geological time and increasingly sophisticated models now link such variation to the long term carbon cycle and climate change. In order to improve the modelling further one key research need is for more and better datasets on weathering and the factors that control it. As a contribution to this, we review the nature of the weathering/carbon cycle system, the sources of evidence used to understand it, and the challenges that remain in quantifying the feedbacks between weathering and the global carbon cycle. We propose that increased understanding of geomorphological diversity of landscapes and processes, and especially the dynamic relationships between weathering and erosion, will aid clearer portrayal of the links between weathering and the long term carbon cycle. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.