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Monitoring Pedogenic Inorganic Carbon Accumulation Due to Weathering of Amended Silicate Minerals in Agricultural Soils.

Monitoring Pedogenic Inorganic Carbon Accumulation Due to Weathering of Amended Silicate Minerals in Agricultural Soils.

Published on: June 4, 2021

Soil Carbon Dioxide Planetary Thermostat.

Gregory J Retallack¹

¹Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.

|January 12, 2022

Summary

Productive soils act as Earth's thermostat, sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) and regulating planetary temperature. This "Soilworld" model explains how ecosystems, like expanding grasslands, balance CO2 levels, preventing extreme climate shifts.

Keywords:

Aridisols Daisyworld Gelisols. Astrobiology 21, 116–123 Mollisols Oxisols

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Last Updated: Oct 7, 2025

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Area of Science:

Earth Science
Climate Science
Ecology

Background:

The Daisyworld model explains planetary temperature regulation via contrasting white (cooling) and black (warming) daisies.
This concept is extended to understand biological regulation of Earth's climate through ecosystems and soils.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose that productive soils and ecosystems function as the cooling "daisies" in a planetary thermostat model.
To investigate the role of soil and ecosystem distribution in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) over geological timescales.

Main Methods:

Utilizing new global soil maps derived from paleosols representing extreme past atmospheric CO2 levels (Middle Miocene and Last Glacial Maximum).
Quantifying and testing hypotheses on how soil and ecosystem expansion influenced CO2 levels during these periods.

Main Results:

Expansion of productive soils effectively curbed large atmospheric CO2 injections during periods of high CO2.
Expansion of unproductive soils during low CO2 ice ages was insufficient to cause a global snowball state due to ongoing volcanic degassing.

Conclusions:

Biogeographic redistribution of ecosystems and soils provides a short-term "Soilworld" thermostat, supplementing long-term carbon sequestration.
Ecosystem management for agriculture holds potential for significant short-term carbon sequestration, aiding climate regulation.