Ancient forests stabilized Earth’s CO2 and climate

EVOLUTIONOF FORESTS

DEVONIAN PERIODThe Devonian is a geologic period of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 419.2 mya to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 358.9 mya.“Greening of land” Is the main event that took place.Forests evolved.

STABILIZED CLIMATEAncient earth had climate and environment that was pure and stabilized compared to what it is now.When CO2 levels became too low for plants to grow properly, forests kept the climate in check by slowing down the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

WHY CO2 LEVEL USED TO DROP?

Because there were no fossil fuels being burnt upLess biodiversity, thus less organisms produced or emitted CO2 .No urbanization

SOURCES OF CO2 IN THAT TIMEPlants produced

at night

Volcanic eruptions

PAST

Over the last 24 million years, the geologic conditions were such that atmospheric CO2 could have fallen to very low levels – but it did not drop below a minimum concentration of about 180 to 200 parts per million. Why?Scientists recreated past environmental conditions by growing trees at low, present-day and high levels of CO2 in controlled-environment growth chambers

WHEN PLANTS CONSERVE CO2? When the level of carbon dioxide drops from

1500 ppm to 200 ppm

1500 ppm

200 ppm

EFFECTS OF LOW LEVEL CO2 Less weathering thus plants and fungi can’t grow properly in low levels of carbon dioxide

BENEFITS

Himalayas

Andes

PRESENT DAY ISSUES

Some studies have suggested that the ability of

oceans and plants to absorb carbon dioxide recently may have begun to decline and that

the airborne fraction of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is therefore beginning to

increase.

SOLUTIONSMake transgenic plants

Clone them

Plant forests

CONCLUSION

By studying the ancient environments we can learn how

to make our environment better and more stabilized!

THANK YOU!