GEO 5680 - The Carbon Cycle: Past, Present, Future

This course will review the carbon cycle in the context of its global role as a fundamental biogeochemical cycle. We will explore its links to Earth history, evolution, climate, surface processes, the sedimentary record, oceanography, ecology, energy, human society, and the future habitability of our planet. We will evaluate how the carbon cycle operated before human intervention, how it has changed in recent centuries, and how it might change in the future.