Researchers looked at how tree roots influence global temperatures in the long term.
Temperatures can affect the thickness of leaf litter and soil layers as well as the rate at which the trees grow, a University of Oxford news release reported.
When the temperatures are higher tend to grow through the mineral layer of the soil, breaking rock into "component parts" that mix with carbon dioxide. This is an example of a process called "weathering" that has the ability to cool the planet by drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
"The researchers say this theory suggests that mountainous ecosystems have acted like the Earth's thermostat, addressing the risk of 'catastrophic' overheating or cooling over millions of years," the news release reported.
The research team looked at rainforests in Peru and measured the tree routes in various altitudes (which would affect temperature). The team measured the roots up to 30 centimeters (about 11 inches) below the ground every three months over the course of a number of years. They also determined the thickness of the organic layer above the soil.
The gathered information was compared with weather and temperature patterns as well as soil moisture in order to determine the breakdown process of basalt and granite.
This information allowed the team to pinpoint the link between mountain forests and global weathering rates.
The researchers calculated how much carbon was likely to be pulled from the atmosphere through weather if the Earth were to get warmer. The model allowed the team to how the weathering process and carbon feedback was affected when the Earth cooled down 45 million years ago.
The findings suggest mountainous regions play an important role in drawing carbon out of the atmosphere due to an abundance of volcanic rock that is "highly reactive" to weathering.
"This is a simple process driven by tree root growth and the decomposition of organic material. Yet it may contribute to Earth's long-term climate stability. It seems to act like a thermostat, drawing more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere when it is warm and less when it is cooler," Lead researcher Chris Doughty, from the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford said in the news release.
"A series of climatic events over the last 65 million years ago have resulted in global temperatures rising and falling. However, the weathering process that regulates carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be buffered by forests that grow in mountainous parts of the world. In the past, this natural process may have prevented the planet from reaching temperatures that are catastrophic for life," he said.
