Re: Climate Changes Mid-late Dinosaur era.

[Gautam Majumdar <gautam@majumdar.demon.co.uk>]

Edels <edels@email.msn.com> wrote
> My understanding is that several things were occurring:
>
> 6)     Due to the increased humidity and temperature, plant life was very
> abundant.  This also led to increased CO2 and this helped keep the
> temperature high (and the herbivores well fed!).

Should it not be the other way round ? Increased CO2, temperature and
humidity will increase bioproductivity and plant mass but that in turn
will actually lower the atmospheric CO2 level.

This has been suggested for the rapid drop of CO2 level in Devonian.

Elick J M, Driese S G, Mora C I, Very large plant and root traces from
the Early to Middle Devonian: Implications for early terrestrial
ecosystems and atmospheric p(CO2), Geology 1997; 26: 143

Also, rising temperature does not always increase CO2 production from
the forests.

Grace J, Rayment M, Respiration in the balance, Nature 2000; 404: 819-20

Gautam Majumdar                 gautam@majumdar.demon.co.uk