Earth's carbon cycle: A mathematical perspective

The carbon cycle represents metabolism at a global scale. When viewed through a mathematical lens, observational data suggest that the cycle exhibits an underlying mathematical structure. This review focuses on two types of emerging results: evidence of global dynamical coupling between life and the environment, and an understanding of the ways in which smaller-scale processes determine the strength of that coupling. Such insights are relevant not only to predicting future climate but also to understanding the long-term co-evolution of life and the environment.