Rock organic carbon oxidation CO₂ release offsets silicate weathering sink.

ABSTRACT: Mountain uplift and erosion have regulated the balance of carbon between Earth's interior and atmosphere, where prior focus has been placed on the role of silicate mineral weathering in CO₂ drawdown and its contribution to the stability of Earth's climate in a habitable state^1-5. However, weathering can also release CO₂ as rock organic carbon (OC_petro) is oxidized at the near surface^6,7; this important geological CO₂ flux has remained poorly constrained^3,8. We use the trace element rhenium in combination with a spatial extrapolation model to quantify this flux across global river catchments^3,9. We find a CO₂ release of [Formula: see text] megatons of carbon annually from weathering of OC

SUBMITTER: Zondervan JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10632139 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature