Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Monitoring Pedogenic Inorganic Carbon Accumulation Due to Weathering of Amended Silicate Minerals in Agricultural Soils.
Published on: June 4, 2021
The carbonate-silicate cycle and CO2/climate feedbacks on tidally locked terrestrial planets
Adam R Edson1, James F Kasting, David Pollard
1Department of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA. Adam.Edson@exelisvis.com
Abstract:
Atmospheric gaseous constituents play an important role in determining the surface temperatures and habitability of a planet. Using a global climate model and a parameterization of the carbonate-silicate cycle, we explored the effect of the location of the substellar point on the atmospheric CO(2) concentration and temperatures of a tidally locked terrestrial planet, using the present Earth continental distribution as an example. We found that the substellar point's location relative to the continents is an important factor in determining weathering and the equilibrium atmospheric CO(2) level. Placing the substellar point over the Atlantic Ocean results in an atmospheric CO(2) concentration of 7 ppmv and a global mean surface air temperature of 247 K, making ∼30% of the planet's surface habitable, whereas placing it over the Pacific Ocean results in a CO(2) concentration of 60,311 ppmv and a global temperature of 282 K, making ∼55% of the surface habitable.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Carbon Cycle
What are Biogeochemical Cycles?
The Phosphorus Cycle
Global Climate Change
Microbes and Climate Change
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles

