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What is the role of biogeochemical cycles in the environment?

I understand the steps of the carbon or nitrogen cycle, but I'm grappling with their role as integral control systems. For instance, how do feedback loops within these cycles buffer against perturbations, maintain planetary boundaries, or create resilience? I'm looking for a perspective that treats these cycles as the planet's metabolic regulatory networks.

 

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By Adi Answered 2 years ago

Think of them not as circles but as interconnected control systems. From my work in climate modeling, a key example is the silicate weathering thermostat in the carbon cycle. As CO2 rises and warms the planet, chemical weathering of rocks accelerates, drawing down CO2 over millennia a negative feedback. Similarly, in the nitrogen cycle, denitrification acts as a pressure release valve, preventing endless eutrophication. These cycles are full of such dampening and amplifying feedbacks. They don't just move elements; they constitute the planet's dynamic, self-regulating physiology, maintaining conditions within habitable ranges despite constant fluxes.

 

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