Large-scale groundwater flow and sedimentary diagenesis in continental shelves influence marine chemical budgets.

ABSTRACT: The major ion chemistry of the ocean has been assumed to be controlled by river input, hydrothermal circulation at mid-ocean ridges, carbonate production, and low-temperature alteration of seafloor basalt, but marine chemical budgets remain difficult to balance. Here we propose that large-scale groundwater flow and diagenetic reactions in continental shelf sediments have been overlooked as an important contributor to major ion budgets in the ocean. Based on data synthesized from 17 passive margin basins, continental shelves contribute fluid exchanges comparable to hydrothermal circulation at mid-ocean ridges. Chemical exchange is similarly significant, indicating removal of Mg²⁺ from the oceans at rates similar to mid-ocean ridge convection. Continental shelves likely contribute

SUBMITTER: Wilson AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10850067 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature