Deep Future Climate on Earth: effects of tectonics, rotation rate, and
insolation
Abstract
We explore two possible Earth climate scenarios, 200 and 250 million
years into the future, using knowledge of the evolution of plate
tectonics, solar luminosity, and rotation rate. In one scenario, a
supercontinent forms at low latitudes, whereas in the other it forms at
high northerly latitudes with an antarctic subcontinent remaining at the
south pole. The climates between these two end points are quite stark,
with differences in mean surface temperatures approaching 4 degrees. The
fractional habitability (mean surface temperatures remaining between
0$<$T$<$100$^\circ$ year
round) on land is shown to differ as much as 40\%
between the two simulations. These results demonstrate the need to
consider alternative boundary conditions when simulating Earth-like
exoplanetary climates.