Nature Communications (Apr 2017)

Future climate forcing potentially without precedent in the last 420 million years

  • Gavin L. Foster,
  • Dana L. Royer,
  • Daniel J. Lunt

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14845
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

Read online

Despite an increase in solar output, the Earth’s climate has apparently remained relatively stable over geological time. Here, the authors compile atmospheric CO2data for the past 420 million years and show that this climatic response is due to the long-term decline in this powerful greenhouse gas.