Post on 30-May-2018
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
1/49
Regulation of the Global Environment:A powerful Perspective
AnimationcreditNASA
A
sy
nthesisbyAntonio
DonatoNobre,MCT
INPA
Brazil
Spon
soredbytheGlobalCanopyPrograman
dthe
ForeignandCommonwea
lthOffice,UnitedKingdom
Presentation copyright 2005 by MCT INPA/AntonioDonato Nobre
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
2/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
3/49
Image credit NASAHuble Space Telescope
In a small region in the outskirts
Billions of years and cosmic processes
of unimaginable grandeur were required sincethe beginning of the Universe for the formation of our Galaxy
a finger-like
structure ofgigantic
proportions
harbors a heavenly cradle wherenewborn baby-stars shine through
clouds of dust
A baby star ejects a revolving disk of dust from
which planets will form
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
4/49
Image credit NASA
planets in relative scale
billions of years later voil, our solar system
Why is there such a variety of planets?
Why are rotations so different?
Could other planets sustain life?
Sun
JupiterSaturn
E
arth
M
ars
V
enus
NeptuneUranus
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
5/49
Venus
Searing 400O C sauna
Clouds and rain of sulfuric acid
243 Days rotation
Weak magnetic field
Image credit NASA
Diversity of Planets
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
6/49
Magnetic field almost null
Mars
Frigid Temperatures
Image credit NASA
Diversity of Planets
Rarefied and un-breathable atmosphere
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
7/49
JupiterMoons
Image credit NASA
Diversity of Planets
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
8/49
Image credit NASA
Io
Europa Ganimedes
Calisto
These bodies have metallic nucleousThese bodies have water and ice
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
9/49
Io, where geology
is the weather
Image credit NASAThermal Image showing Active Volcanos
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
10/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
11/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
12/49
What about other heavenly objects?
An enormous swarm of moving
boulders and comets, remnantsfrom the formation of thesolar system, lay floating inouter orbitssome of which can, from time to time, destabilize
and plunge in our direction
What protects Earth froma continuous bombardment of meteorites?
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
13/49
Jupiter and the other giant planets in outer orbits functionasgravitational umbrellas, protecting Earth from comets and
other wayward cosmic boulders
Comet Shoemaker-Levy impact 16-22 July/1994Image credit NASA
Huble Space Telescope
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
14/49
Earth Moon System
Mass, distance and orbit of our Moonguarantees the long term stability for the
oblique angle of Earth rotational axis
Image credit NASA
This dynamic rotationstability has vital importancefor the long term stability of
climate
Thus, are the evolution of the rightplanet, in the rightdistance and orbit
from the sun, with the rightset of
neighboring planets attending necessaryand sufficientconditions for Earth toharbor life?
Not quite yet
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
15/49
As a result of the solar wind blasting its unprotectedsurface, Io loses matter to space
Now the planet should be the rightand stablebody that will bear an atmosphereconducive to
the appearance and evolution of life
But there is still a caveat
How is Earth protectedfrom the erosive forces of the solar wind?
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
16/49
Li f E th ti fi ld
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
17/49
like an electric motor,the differential spinning
in the nucleus generates abig magnetic field thatencompasses the whole
planet
Lines of Earth magnetic field,computer simulation
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
18/49
... So, Earths magnetic field is very effectivein protecting against the harshness of thesolar wind...
Animation credit NASA; ilustrates solar wind ejecting from the sun and being deflected by Earth magnetic field; ends with a view of Mars weak magnetic field
Click mouse here =>
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
19/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
20/49
If one were to calculate the numeric probability that all ofthese celestial factors would come together exactly right,as they did, the probability of Earth existence resulting
from blind chance, multiplied by the probability of itsactual characteristics, would very likely produce aninfinitesimaly small number!
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
21/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
22/49
Greenhouse Earth95% CO2
Billions of years ago thesuns output was weaker so
the greenhouse Earth keptthe oceans from freezing
In the beginning only geological andgeochemical forces determined theaccumulation and modification of gases in
the atmosphere.
Venting from the Earth interior andaccretion from meteorites were the
sources for the slow buildup of gases on
the planets surface
As happened in Venus and Mars, these
passive physical and chemical processesled to the accumulation of a reductiveatmosphere, composed mostly of Carbon
Dioxide.
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
23/49
Present day Earth0.037% CO2
But Earth has evolved an oxidativeatmosphere, where carbon dioxide has been
removed and reduced to traces. This courseof evolution was radically different from theones in Venus and Mars, which kept theirreducive atmospheres unaltered to the
present.
the transparent atmospherekeeps the oceans fromboiling as a result of a
stronger sun
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
24/49
Had Earth kept the CO2 atmosphere ofthe beginning to the present, it would now
resemble Venus, with extreme heat onthe surface
Had Earth had the low CO2 atmosphere ofthe present back in the beginning, itwould now resemble Jupiters moon
Europa, completely frozen
THE EARTH PARADOX
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
25/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
26/49
Purely passive production of O2 in the
atmosphere does not explain themagnitude of reduction in CO2
concentration and the volume of molecularoxygen produced
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
27/49
MOLECULAR OXIGEN FORMATION BY WATER AND CO2 PHOTOLYSIS
Photochemical generation of molecular oxygen inthe atmosphere could explain an amountequivalent to less than 1% of the present
atmospheric concentration (21%)
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
28/49
Internet material
However, most Oxygenproduced over the ages(96%) was consumed inthe oxidation of Iron
and Sulfur on the Earthcrust. Oxygen only
started to buildup inthe atmosphere when
the crust wassufficiently rusted.
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
29/49
Therefore, passive photochemicalproduction of O2 would have had no
chance of producing an oxidativeatmosphere.
By estechiometric analogy, the
photochemical removal of CO2 could notexplain the great reduction of this gas
from 95% to 0.037%
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
30/49
Some geologists believe that weathering
of continental rocks in a CO2 richatmosphere with the ensuing formation oflimestone would explain the removal of
CO2 from the atmosphere
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
31/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
32/49
this geological hypothesis is based in theaccounting of huge volumes of limestone found
on the ocean floors and also on previouslyflooded continental areas
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
33/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
34/49
How life would promote and control gas concentrations in the
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
35/49
PHOTOSYNTHESISGreenhouse Earth
95% CO2
Present day Earth
0.037% CO2
30% output increase
How life would promote and control gas concentrations in theatmosphere?
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
36/49
The emergence of photosynthesis in the
biosphere explains the progressiveconsumption of atmospheric CO2 and
symmetrical release of vast amounts of
molecular oxygen
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
37/49
BLUEGREEN ALGI was the first organism to tap sunlightthrough photosynthesis
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
38/49
Internet material
Over the ages theoxygen buildup inthe atmosphere is
consistent andsynchronized withthe evolution oforganisms in the
biosphere
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
39/49
What is Photosynthesis?
How does it tap light energy?
Why Carbon and Oxygen are different
sides of the same coin?
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
40/49
Origin of All Organic Matter
inert gas [CO2] is transformed into sugar
...using for that nothing more than light and water
CO2 + H2O = CH2O + O2
Simple Explanation
Chlorophyl:Li ht
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
41/49
Chlorophyl:chemical solar panel
Light hitting thechlorophyl produces
electricity in its
other extremity,where water is thendissociated intoHydrogen and
Oxygen
Light
H2O
H2
O
ATPADP
Atmosphere
Hydrogen isremitted to the nextphase where it willbe used to reduceCO2 and producesugar; Oxygen is
released into theatmosphere;
Finally, extra
energy from lightis packed into
ATP that will beremitted toenergize the
sugar productionphase
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
42/49
Rubisco: assembly line
Internet material
CO2
Using energy andHydrogen produced in thechlorophyl light phase, 6CO2 molecules will now beglued together by therubisco enzyme to form
one molecule of Glucose
Mg
Rubiscopr
otein
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
43/49
Biochemistry: builds live complexity with simplebuilding blocks
Internet material
The most fantastic LEGO!
Further on, glucose moleculesare glued together bybiochemical processes,
producing celulose, lignin,wood... and then, with the
addition of other ingredients,also proteins, lipids, vitamins...
and a great variety of organicsubstances from which allorganisms are made...
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
44/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
45/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
46/49
Against disorder
Acumulates information
Manipulates flows of matter and energy
Self regulated
Always seeks equilibrium
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
47/49
There is overwhelming evidence that
Earth is stable because it has life.Blind geological or geochemicalforces alone cannot explain the
exquisite regulation veryfiable in ourplanets history.
Runaway climates on all other knownplanets are powerful corroborations
of the uniqueness of Earths selfregulation capacity!
In hindsight, these inherent properties of life arevery similar to what can be seen in our planet as a
whole: many geological records point to a long lastingstability of the Earth temperature, within very
narrow limits of variation.
This temperature stability has maintained liquidwater on the surface, an essential condition for lifeitself.
In many ways, the regulation of climate and theenvironment, as demonstrated by Earth history, is
very similar to the complex and efficient regulationof an organism own internal environment...
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
48/49
8/14/2019 Earth Regulation
49/49
Aknowledgements
This synthesis work was funded by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office of UK, under a grant to theGlobal Canopy Prgram (www.globalcanopy.org/), and co-
sponsored by the National Institute for AmazonianResearch in Brazil. Stimuli, support and a critical reviewfrom Andrew Mitchell from the Global Canopy Program
was keenly appreciated.Most original material used in building of the slidescame from public domain sites like www.nasa.gov and
others. This synthesis could not have developed withoutinspiration by Robert Harriss (National Center of
Atmospheric Research), Lynn Margulis (many of herbooks), Jim Lovelock (the Gaya Theory), Victor
Gorshkov and Anastasia Makaraieva (Biotic Regulationof the Environment) and a number of authors in the
scientific earth system and planetary science
literature. This work was also spurred by 20 years ofresearch in the magnificient Amazon rainforest, where
environmental regulation is self evident.
Socrates, thousands of years ago, first captured thenotion that humankind only could properly evaluate thecomplexity of Earth if able to leave the planet and see
it from the outside.
http://www.globalcanopy.org/http://www.globalcanopy.org/http://www.nasa.gov/http://www.nasa.gov/http://www.globalcanopy.org/http://www.globalcanopy.org/