guest@hyper.UUCP (guest) (02/02/88)
See the January 1988 issue of Scientific American for a great article on the subject of the evolution of the earth's atmosphere. They conclude that the earth would have developed a stable temperature even if life never came about. I.E. heat causes rain. CO2 dissolves in rain, is washed to ground, combines with various substances. Less CO2 in atmosphere cools things. More cool, less rain. Less rain less CO2 captured. On the other side of the equation, hot earth core, active crust, CO2 bearing stuff subducted and heated, vented as CO2 at a constant rate at geological hot spots. Summary: Constant source of CO2. Variable absorption of CO2 depending inversely on atmospheric temperature. Life in the cycle not needed.