Increased carbon capture by a silicate-treated forested watershed affected by acid deposition
Meeting internationally agreed-upon climate targets requires carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies coupled with an urgent phase-down of fossil fuel emissions. However, the efficacy and wider impacts of CDR are poorly understood. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a land-based CDR strategy requiring...
| Published in: | Biogeosciences |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-169-2021 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00055234 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00054885/bg-18-169-2021.pdf https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/18/169/2021/bg-18-169-2021.pdf |
| Summary: | Meeting internationally agreed-upon climate targets requires carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies coupled with an urgent phase-down of fossil fuel emissions. However, the efficacy and wider impacts of CDR are poorly understood. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a land-based CDR strategy requiring large-scale field trials. Here we show that a low 3.44 t ha−1 wollastonite treatment in an 11.8 ha acid-rain-impacted forested watershed in New Hampshire, USA, led to cumulative carbon capture by carbonic acid weathering of 0.025–0.13 t CO2 ha−1 over 15 years. Despite a 0.8–2.4 t CO2 ha−1 logistical carbon penalty from mining, grinding, transportation, and spreading, by 2015 weathering together with increased forest productivity led to net CDR of 8.5–11.5 t CO2 ha−1. Our results demonstrate that ERW may be an effective, scalable CDR strategy for acid-impacted forests but at large scales requires sustainable sources of silicate rock dust. |
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