What we talk about when we talk about the long-term carbon cycle

The terrestrial biota is a crucial part of the long-term carbon cycle via the deposition of biomass as coal and other sedimentary organic matter and the impact of plants, fungi, and microbial life on the weathering of silicate minerals. Understanding these processes and their changes through time requires both geochemical modeling of the system as well as expertise in the living and fossil biotas and their ecological interactions, but details of these components are often lost in translation between disciplines. Here, we highlight misconceptions of the long-term carbon cycle that most frequently infiltrate the literature and hamper progress: mass balance requirements, the nature and duration of perturbations, opposing timescale constraints on biological and geological processes, and the role of models.

Automated summary

The terrestrial biota plays a crucial role in the long-term carbon cycle through the formation of coal and other sedimentary organic matter, as well as the impact on weathering of silicate minerals. However, there are misconceptions that hinder progress in understanding these processes, such as mass balance requirements, the nature and duration of perturbations, timescale constraints, and the role of models.