Why is Earth the only known habitable and life-supporting planet in the solar system among the terrestrial planets? Understanding the key to this question lies in a deep comprehension of Earth’s long-term carbon cycle processes and its negative feedback mechanisms. This article, based on the framework of Earth’s carbon cycle composition, fluxes, and response times, will emphasize the importance of negative feedbacks in maintaining climate stability and carbon cycle balance, and will provide a detailed introduction to various negative feedback mechanisms, including terrestrial silicate weathering, marine silicate weathering, reverse weathering, organic carbon burial, and fossil carbon oxidation. Through the review of hot topics in the Earth’s carbon cycle, it is revealed that the long-term stability of Earth’s climate depends on the synergistic action of multiple negative feedback mechanisms, and the extent of their influence varies across different geological periods. To further understand the mechanisms of carbon cycle negative feedback, future research should adhere to the principles of Earth system science, integrating the rich records and indicators from disciplines such as sedimentology, tectonics, paleoclimatology, and geochemistry, and combining them with advanced numerical simulation and artificial intelligence technologies to conduct quantitative research.
HUANG Xiangtong, YANG Shouye
. Negative feedbacks in the Earth’s long-term carbon cycle[J]. Chinese Journal of Nature, 2025
, 47(1)
: 11
-22
.
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2025.01.002
