All You Wanted To Know About The Gaia Theory Pietro Paolo Bertagnolio 23 January 2008 Proseminar Presentation Techniques Pietro Paolo Bertagnolio 23 January 2008 Proseminar Presentation Techniques

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia2 Gaia is NOT (only) a goddess. FACTS: Chemical Disequilibrium, Time Records, Daisyworld FACTS: Chemical Disequilibrium, Time Records, Daisyworld HYPOTHESIS: “The Earth System actively (Gaia Hypothesis)self-regulates.” HYPOTHESIS: “The Earth System actively (Gaia Hypothesis)self-regulates.” PARADIGM: “The Earth is like (Gaia Theory) a living being.” PARADIGM: “The Earth is like (Gaia Theory) a living being.” RESEARCH: Feedback loops, (Geophysiology)Self-regulation mechanisms RESEARCH: Feedback loops, (Geophysiology)Self-regulation mechanisms

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia3 The History of Gaia 1785: James Hutton (the “father of geology”) the Earth as a superorganism. 1927: Vladimir Vernadsky the biosphere drives geological evolution. 1966: Lynn Margulis the cells are communities of once- independent microorganisms (endosymbiosis) 1979: James Lovelock “Gaia: A new look at life on Earth”. 1785: James Hutton (the “father of geology”) the Earth as a superorganism. 1927: Vladimir Vernadsky the biosphere drives geological evolution. 1966: Lynn Margulis the cells are communities of once- independent microorganisms (endosymbiosis) 1979: James Lovelock “Gaia: A new look at life on Earth”.

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PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia6 From Lovelock (1990) Living planets, dead planets VenusEarthMars CO %0.03%95% N2N2 3.5%79%2.7% O2O2 trace21%0.13% CH ppb0.0

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia7 What do they have in common? Defined boundary: Atmosphere Constant properties: –Oxygen conc. –Ocean salinity –Surface temperature Defined boundary: Atmosphere Constant properties: –Oxygen conc. –Ocean salinity –Surface temperature Defined boundary: Membrane Constant properties: –pH –Osmotic pressure –Ionic charge Defined boundary: Membrane Constant properties: –pH –Osmotic pressure –Ionic charge HOMEOSTASIS

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia8 Homeostasis and Daisyworld From Olbers (2001)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia9 Homeostasis and Daisyworld From Lenton (1998)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia10 Homeostasis and Earth O 2 and CH 4 are produced by bacterial metabolism. Could these be the Earth’s “daisies”? From Lovelock (1990)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia11 Definition of Paradigm Scientists develop problems, theories, models and experiments in a given frame, called paradigm. Thomas S. Kuhn ( ) Thomas S. Kuhn ( ) At the core of each paradigm there is often an analogy. From Kuhn (1962)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia12 Examples of Paradigm (1) The universe ≈ is likeEarth-centered spheres Sun-centered spheres an infinite space

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia13 a quantum wavefunction Examples of Paradigm (2) Light ≈ is likemicroscopic particles microscopic waves

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia14 an electronic circuit a living being Gaia as a paradigm The Earth system ≈ is like

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia15 DMS cycle: Main characters Phytoplankton Clouds Dimethylsulfonio propionate Dimethylsulfide (DMS)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia16 DMS cycle: CLAW From Charlson et al. (1987)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia17 DMS cycle: Anti-CLAW From Charlson et al. (1987)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia18 Summary Lovelock speculates that the Earth system could have some self-regulating mechanisms. (Gaia hypothesis) This leads to investigate the Earth system as it was a living organism. (Geophysiological paradigm) New research has been stimulated by this new way to look at the Earth. (DMS cycle - CLAW hypothesis) Lovelock speculates that the Earth system could have some self-regulating mechanisms. (Gaia hypothesis) This leads to investigate the Earth system as it was a living organism. (Geophysiological paradigm) New research has been stimulated by this new way to look at the Earth. (DMS cycle - CLAW hypothesis)

PEP WS 07/08 All You Wanted To Know About Gaia19 That‘s all, folks! References: Charlson, R. J., Lovelock, J. E., Andreae, M. O., and Warren, S. G., (1987), Oceanic phytoplankton, atmospheric sulphur, cloud albedo and climate. Nature 326, Kuhn, T. S. (1968), The structure of scientific revolutions, University of Chicago Press. Lenton, T. M. (1998), Gaia and natural selection, Nature 394, Lovelock, J. E. (1990),The Ages of Gaia, Bantam Books. Olbers, D. (2001), A gallery of simple models from climate physics, Stochastic Climate Models, Progress in Probability, 49, References: Charlson, R. J., Lovelock, J. E., Andreae, M. O., and Warren, S. G., (1987), Oceanic phytoplankton, atmospheric sulphur, cloud albedo and climate. Nature 326, Kuhn, T. S. (1968), The structure of scientific revolutions, University of Chicago Press. Lenton, T. M. (1998), Gaia and natural selection, Nature 394, Lovelock, J. E. (1990),The Ages of Gaia, Bantam Books. Olbers, D. (2001), A gallery of simple models from climate physics, Stochastic Climate Models, Progress in Probability, 49, 3-36.