wAbstract
@The weathering of silicate minerals is an important long-term
control on the global carbon budget. While the rate of mineral
weathering is influenced by the atmospheric variations in atmospheric
carbon dioxide, the only measurements of those effects have occurred
during dissolution experiments at temperatures much higher than
earth surface conditions. Thus, any climate models that include
such a relationship may not be able to fully couple variations
in atmospheric carbon dioxide with the lithospheric sinks.
@Our study presents a relationship for the dependence of plagioclase
dissolution rates on PCO2
based on field data from a site in the southeastern Sierra Nevada
drainages. A series of canyons that have similar drainages show
wide variability in water chemistry that is attributed to variations
in PCO2 from geothermal
sources. This setting allowed us to isolate the effect of PCO2 on weathering rates in
conditions relevant to climate models. The results show that mineral
dissolution rates are proportional to PCO20.45 when the observed variations
are attributed solely to variations in PCO2. This relationship is likely to be more applicable
to climate models than prior laboratory derived data.
Keywords: Carbon dioxide; Plagioclase; Weathering; Sierra Nevadax
1. Introduction
2. Study area
3. Methods
@3.1. Weathering rate calculations
4. Results
5. Discussion
@5.1. Uncertainty in calculation of rates
@5.2. Rate dependence on PCO2
6. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References