scholarly journals Lithium and Lithium Isotopes in Earth’s Surface Cycles

Elements ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A.E. Pogge von Strandmann ◽  
Simone A. Kasemann ◽  
Josh B. Wimpenny
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Silicate Weathering ◽  
Lithium Isotope ◽  
Climatic Warming ◽  
Pore Waters ◽  
Lithium Isotopes ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Isotope Evidence ◽  
Clay Formation

Lithium and its isotopes can provide information on continental silicate weathering, which is the primary natural drawdown process of atmospheric CO2 and a major control on climate. Lithium isotopes themselves can help our understanding of weathering, via globally important processes such as clay formation and cation retention. Both these processes occur as part of weathering in modern surface environments, such as rivers, soil pore waters, and groundwaters, but Li isotopes can also be used to track weathering changes across major climate-change events. Lithium isotope evidence from several past climatic warming and cooling episodes shows that weathering processes respond rapidly to changes in temperature, meaning that weathering is capable of bringing climate back under control within a few tens of thousands of years.

Lithium isotopes tracing weathering processes in a time series through soil porewaters

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wilson ◽  
Philip Pogge von Strandmann ◽  
Gary Tarbuck ◽  
Jo White ◽  
Tim Atkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Silicate Weathering ◽  
Lithium Isotope ◽  
Lithium Isotopes ◽  
Drip Water ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Li Isotope ◽  
Clay Formation ◽  
Isotope Measurements

<p>Chemical weathering is a key process that controls Earth’s geochemical cycles and global climate, yet at present the climate-weathering feedback is poorly understood. Lithium (Li) isotopes are sensitive to silicate weathering processes [1] and can be applied in a range of settings to improve our understanding of weathering mechanisms and timescales, and hence to quantify the role of weathering in the global carbon cycle. While marine carbonates [2] and speleothems [3] are suitable for recording changes over million year and thousand year timescales, respectively, it is equally important to assess how weathering operates over seasonal [4] and shorter [5] timescales.</p><p>In order to explore seasonal variability in a natural system, we analysed Li isotopes and major/trace elements in a time series of cave drip-water samples from Ease Gill and White Scar caves (Yorkshire Dales, U.K.). Since the drip-waters are sourced from the overlying soil porewaters, these measurements provide a record of the evolving weathering fluid chemistry at approximately monthly intervals. Our data reveal striking temporal variations in ∂<sup>7</sup>Li of 4 to 8 permil, hinting at rapid changes in weathering processes over monthly to seasonal timescales. We assess the sources of Li using isotope measurements on local rocks and soils, which enables a first order quantification of the temporal changes in Li removal by clay formation. Comparison to records of temperature, precipitation, drip rates, and drip-water chemistry allows the local controls on weathering to be assessed and indicates that a dominant control is exerted by the fluid residence time.</p><p>These data are further complemented by batch reactor experiments, which were conducted to replicate rock weathering over timescales of hours to weeks. In combination, the time series and experiments contribute to a better understanding of weathering changes over short timescales and their influence on Li isotopes. In addition, results from the drip-waters provide key ground-truthing for interpreting our ongoing Li isotope measurements on speleothems, which will provide new records of weathering changes over longer timescales in response to regional climate forcing.</p><p>[1] Pogge von Strandmann, P.A.E., Frings, P.J., Murphy, M.J. (2017) Lithium isotope behaviour during weathering in the Ganges Alluvial Plain. GCA 198, 17-31.</p><p>[2] Misra, S. & Froelich, P.N. (2012) Lithium isotope history of Cenozoic seawater: changes in silicate weathering and reverse weathering. Science 335, 818-823.</p><p>[3] Pogge von Strandmann, P.A.E., Vaks, A., Bar-Matthews, M., Ayalon, A., Jacob, E., Henderson, G.M. (2017) Lithium isotopes in speleothems: Temperature-controlled variation in silicate weathering during glacial cycles. EPSL 469, 64-74.</p><p>[4] Liu, X.-M., Wanner, C., Rudnick, R.L., McDonough, W.F. (2015) Processes controlling δ<sup>7</sup>Li in rivers illuminated by study of streams and groundwaters draining basalts. EPSL 409, 212-224.</p><p>[5] Pogge von Strandmann, P.A.E., Fraser, W.T., Hammond, S.J., Tarbuck, G., Wood, I.G., Oelkers, E.H., Murphy, M.J. (2019) Experimental determination of Li isotope behaviour during basalt weathering. Chemical Geology 517, 34-43.</p>

scholarly journals Tracing silicate weathering processes in the permafrost-dominated Lena River watershed using lithium isotopes

2019 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
pp. 154-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Murphy ◽  
Don Porcelli ◽  
Philip A.E. Pogge von Strandmann ◽  
Catherine A. Hirst ◽  
Liselott Kutscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Silicate Weathering ◽  
Lithium Isotopes ◽  
Lena River ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
Weathering Processes

scholarly journals Lithium-isotope evidence for enhanced silicate weathering during OAE 1a (Early Aptian Selli event)

2015 ◽  
Vol 432 ◽  
pp. 210-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Lechler ◽  
Philip A.E. Pogge von Strandmann ◽  
Hugh C. Jenkyns ◽  
Giacomo Prosser ◽  
Mariano Parente
Keyword(s):  
Silicate Weathering ◽  
Lithium Isotope ◽  
Isotope Evidence

scholarly journals The hydrochemical signature of incongruent weathering in Iceland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Cole ◽  
Mark Torres ◽  
Preston Kemeny
Keyword(s):  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Silicate Weathering ◽  
Carbonate Dissolution ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Mineral Phases ◽  
Inverse Models ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Basalt Weathering ◽  
Clay Formation ◽  
End Members

Basaltic watersheds such as those found in Iceland are thought to be important sites of CO₂ sequestration via silicate weathering. However, determining the magnitude of CO₂ uptake depends on accurately interpreting river chemistry. Here, we compile geochemical data from Iceland and use them to constrain weathering processes. Specifically, we use a newly developed inverse model to quantify solute supply from rain and hydrothermal fluids as well as allow for different mineral phases within basalts to react at different rates, solutes to be removed via clay formation, and some Ca to be sourced from carbonate dissolution. While some of these processes have been considered previously, they have not been considered together allowing us to newly determine their relative contributions.We find that weathering in Iceland is incongruent in two ways. Firstly, solute release from primary silicates is characterized by a higher proportion of Na than would be expected from bulk basalts, which may reflect preferential weathering or some contribution from rhyolites. This Na enrichment is further enhanced by preferential Mg and K uptake by clays. No samples in our dataset (n=537) require carbonate dissolution even if isotopic data (δ26Mg, δ30Si, δ44Ca, and/or 87Sr/86Sr) are included. While some carbonate weathering is allowable, silicate weathering likely dominates. The complexity we observe in Iceland underscores the need for inverse models to account for a wide range of processes and end-members. Given that riverine fluxes from Iceland are more Na-rich than expected for congruent basalt weathering, the characteristic timescale of CO₂ drawdown is likely affected.

Time-scale dependence of climate-carbon cycle feedbacks for weak perturbations in CMIP5 models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Torres Mendonça ◽  
Julia Pongratz ◽  
Christian Reick
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Global Carbon Cycle ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
Global Carbon ◽  
Different Time Scales

<p>The increase in atmospheric CO2 driven by anthropogenic emissions is the main radiative forcing causing climate change. But this increase is not only a result from emissions, but also from changes in the global carbon cycle. These changes arise from feedbacks between climate and the carbon cycle that drive CO2 into or out of the atmosphere in addition to the emissions, thereby either accelerating or buffering climate change. Therefore, understanding the contribution of these feedbacks to the global response of the carbon cycle is crucial in advancing climate research. Currently, this contribution is quantified by the α-β-γ framework (Friedlingstein et al., 2003). But this quantification is only valid for a particular perturbation scenario and time period. In contrast, a recently proposed generalization (Rubino et al., 2016) of this framework for weak perturbations quantifies this contribution for all scenarios and at different time scales. </p><p>Thereby, this generalization provides a systematic framework to investigate the response of the global carbon cycle in terms of the climate-carbon cycle feedbacks. In the present work we employ this framework to study these feedbacks and the airborne fraction in different CMIP5 models. We demonstrate (1) that this generalization of the α-β-γ framework consistently describes the linear dynamics of the carbon cycle in the MPI-ESM; and (2) how by this framework the climate-carbon cycle feedbacks and airborne fraction are quantified at different time scales in CMIP5 models. Our analysis shows that, independently of the perturbation scenario, (1) the net climate-carbon cycle feedback is negative at all time scales; (2) the airborne fraction generally decreases for increasing time scales; and (3) the land biogeochemical feedback dominates the model spread in the airborne fraction at all time scales. This last result therefore emphasizes the need to improve our understanding of this particular feedback.</p><p><strong>References:</strong></p><p>P. Friedlingstein, J.-L. Dufresne, P. Cox, and P. Rayner. How positive is the feedback between climate change and the carbon cycle? Tellus B, 55(2):692–700, 2003.</p><p>M. Rubino, D. Etheridge, C. Trudinger, C. Allison, P. Rayner, I. Enting, R. Mulvaney, L. Steele, R. Langenfelds, W. Sturges, et al. Low atmospheric CO2 levels during the Little Ice Age due to cooling-induced terrestrial uptake. Nature Geoscience, 9(9):691–694, 2016.</p>

scholarly journals Evidences of Widespread Cretaceous Deep Weathering and Its Consequences: A Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Bata
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Condition ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Greenhouse Climate ◽  
Temperature And Humidity ◽  
Co2 Level

This study highlights the effect of the Cretaceous greenhouse climate on weathering processes. Atmospheric CO2 level was relatively higher in the Cretaceous than it was in both the Jurassic and the Cenozoic. Consequently, temperature and humidity were higher in the Cretaceous than in the Jurassic and the Cenozoic. The interaction among the high levels of atmospheric CO2, extreme global warmth, and humidity in the Cretaceous resulted in widespread deep weathering. Cretaceous palaeo-weathering profiles are observed to occur at higher palaeolatitudes relative to the Jurassic and Cenozoic palaeo-weathering profiles. This implies the upward warming of the Cretaceous palaeolatitude, consistent with palaeotemperature estimates for the Cretaceous. The present thickness of weathering profiles in some selected tropical zones is approximately 200 m. During the greenhouse climatic condition in the Cretaceous, the thickness of weathering profiles at those areas could have been up to 4–5 times the present value. This suggests that many sediments were produced from the Cretaceous weathering events.

scholarly journals Regional variability of acidification in the Arctic: a sea of contrasts

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Popova ◽  
A. Yool ◽  
Y. Aksenov ◽  
A. C. Coward ◽  
T. R. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Canadian Arctic Archipelago ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Arctic Ocean is a region that is particularly vulnerable to the impact of ocean acidification driven by rising atmospheric CO2, with potentially negative consequences for calcifying organisms such as coccolithophorids and foraminiferans. In this study, we use an ocean-only general circulation model, with embedded biogeochemistry and a comprehensive description of the ocean carbon cycle, to study the response of pH and saturation states of calcite and aragonite to rising atmospheric pCO2 and changing climate in the Arctic Ocean. Particular attention is paid to the strong regional variability within the Arctic, and, for comparison, simulation results are contrasted with those for the global ocean. Simulations were run to year 2099 using the RCP8.5 (an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) scenario with the highest concentrations of atmospheric CO2). The separate impacts of the direct increase in atmospheric CO2 and indirect effects via impact of climate change (changing temperature, stratification, primary production and freshwater fluxes) were examined by undertaking two simulations, one with the full system and the other in which atmospheric CO2 was prevented from increasing beyond its preindustrial level (year 1860). Results indicate that the impact of climate change, and spatial heterogeneity thereof, plays a strong role in the declines in pH and carbonate saturation (Ω) seen in the Arctic. The central Arctic, Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Baffin Bay show greatest rates of acidification and Ω decline as a result of melting sea ice. In contrast, areas affected by Atlantic inflow including the Greenland Sea and outer shelves of the Barents, Kara and Laptev seas, had minimal decreases in pH and Ω because diminishing ice cover led to greater vertical mixing and primary production. As a consequence, the projected onset of undersaturation in respect to aragonite is highly variable regionally within the Arctic, occurring during the decade of 2000–2010 in the Siberian shelves and Canadian Arctic Archipelago, but as late as the 2080s in the Barents and Norwegian seas. We conclude that, for future projections of acidification and carbonate saturation state in the Arctic, regional variability is significant and needs to be adequately resolved, with particular emphasis on reliable projections of the rates of retreat of the sea ice, which are a major source of uncertainty.

scholarly journals Rates of consumption of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> through the weathering of loess during the next 100 yr of climate change

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Goddéris ◽  
S. L. Brantley ◽  
L. M. François ◽  
J. Schott ◽  
D. Pollard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Reaction Front ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Co2 Production ◽  
Depth Interval ◽  
Mississippi Valley ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
The Future

Abstract. Quantifying how C fluxes will change in the future is a complex task for models because of the coupling between climate, hydrology, and biogeochemical reactions. Here we investigate how pedogenesis of the Peoria loess, which has been weathering for the last 13 kyr, will respond over the next 100 yr of climate change. Using a cascade of numerical models for climate (ARPEGE), vegetation (CARAIB) and weathering (WITCH), we explore the effect of an increase in CO2 of 315 ppmv (1950) to 700 ppmv (2100 projection). The increasing CO2 results in an increase in temperature along the entire transect. In contrast, drainage increases slightly for a focus pedon in the south but decreases strongly in the north. These two variables largely determine the behavior of weathering. In addition, although CO2 production rate increases in the soils in response to global warming, the rate of diffusion back to the atmosphere also increases, maintaining a roughly constant or even decreasing CO2 concentration in the soil gas phase. Our simulations predict that temperature increasing in the next 100 yr causes the weathering rates of the silicates to increase into the future. In contrast, the weathering rate of dolomite – which consumes most of the CO2 – decreases in both end members (south and north) of the transect due to its retrograde solubility. We thus infer slower rates of advance of the dolomite reaction front into the subsurface, and faster rates of advance of the silicate reaction front. However, additional simulations for 9 pedons located along the north–south transect show that the dolomite weathering advance rate will increase in the central part of the Mississippi Valley, owing to a maximum in the response of vertical drainage to the ongoing climate change. The carbonate reaction front can be likened to a terrestrial lysocline because it represents a depth interval over which carbonate dissolution rates increase drastically. However, in contrast to the lower pH and shallower lysocline expected in the oceans with increasing atmospheric CO2, we predict a deeper lysocline in future soils. Furthermore, in the central Mississippi Valley, soil lysocline deepening accelerates but in the south and north the deepening rate slows. This result illustrates the complex behavior of carbonate weathering facing short term global climate change. Predicting the global response of terrestrial weathering to increased atmospheric CO2 and temperature in the future will mostly depend upon our ability to make precise assessments of which areas of the globe increase or decrease in precipitation and soil drainage.

scholarly journals Response of water fluxes and biomass production to climate change in permanent grassland soil ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 6087-6106
Author(s):  
Veronika Forstner ◽  
Jannis Groh ◽  
Matevz Vremec ◽  
Markus Herndl ◽  
Harry Vereecken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Biomass Production ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Actual Evapotranspiration ◽  
Water Fluxes ◽  
Permanent Grassland ◽  
Experimental Approaches

Abstract. Effects of climate change on the ecosystem productivity and water fluxes have been studied in various types of experiments. However, it is still largely unknown whether and how the experimental approach itself affects the results of such studies. We employed two contrasting experimental approaches, using high-precision weighable monolithic lysimeters, over a period of 4 years to identify and compare the responses of water fluxes and aboveground biomass to climate change in permanent grassland. The first, manipulative, approach is based on controlled increases of atmospheric CO2 concentration and surface temperature. The second, observational, approach uses data from a space-for-time substitution along a gradient of climatic conditions. The Budyko framework was used to identify if the soil ecosystem is energy limited or water limited. Elevated temperature reduced the amount of non-rainfall water, particularly during the growing season in both approaches. In energy-limited grassland ecosystems, elevated temperature increased the actual evapotranspiration and decreased aboveground biomass. As a consequence, elevated temperature led to decreasing seepage rates in energy-limited systems. Under water-limited conditions in dry periods, elevated temperature aggravated water stress and, thus, resulted in reduced actual evapotranspiration. The already small seepage rates of the drier soils remained almost unaffected under these conditions compared to soils under wetter conditions. Elevated atmospheric CO2 reduced both actual evapotranspiration and aboveground biomass in the manipulative experiment and, therefore, led to a clear increase and change in seasonality of seepage. As expected, the aboveground biomass productivity and ecosystem efficiency indicators of the water-limited ecosystems were negatively correlated with an increase in aridity, while the trend was unclear for the energy-limited ecosystems. In both experimental approaches, the responses of soil water fluxes and biomass production mainly depend on the ecosystems' status with respect to energy or water limitation. To thoroughly understand the ecosystem response to climate change and be able to identify tipping points, experiments need to embrace sufficiently extreme boundary conditions and explore responses to individual and multiple drivers, such as temperature, CO2 concentration, and precipitation, including non-rainfall water. In this regard, manipulative and observational climate change experiments complement one another and, thus, should be combined in the investigation of climate change effects on grassland.

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