Partitioning riverine sulfate sources using oxygen and sulfur isotopes: implications for carbon budgets of large rivers

• Published in: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
• Main Authors: Relph, Katy, Stevenson, Emily, Turchyn, Alexandra, Antler, Gilad, Bickle, Mike, Baronas, Jotautas, Darby, Stephen, Parsons, Daniel R., Tipper, Edward
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Carbonic acid
• Online Access: https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/449410/; https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/449410/1/Relph_et_al_2021_EPSL_Accepted.pdf; https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/449410/2/Relph_et_al_2021_EPSL_Supp_Info.pdf

The weathering of carbonate rocks with sulfuric acid releases carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to the atmosphere, offsetting the CO 2 drawdown from carbonic acid weathering of silicates thought to regulate global climate. Quantifying CO 2 release from sulfuric acid weathering requires the partitioning of riverine sulfate between its two main sources: sedimentary sulfate and sulfide. Although the sulfur (δ 34 S SO 4 ) and oxygen (δ 18 O SO 4 ) isotope ratios of sedimentary sulfates (gypsum and anhydrite) of different ages are well constrained, the δ 34 S of sulfide minerals is highly variable, restricting the utility of δ 34 S for partitioning sulfur sources. Here, we use oxygen isotope ratios in the river water (δ 18 O H 2 O ) and sulfate molecules (δ 18 O SO 4 ) to partition the fraction of sulfate and associated uncertainty delivered by the oxidative weathering of pyrite (f pyr ). The partitioning is illustrated using the Mekong River, one of the world's largest river basins, presenting new δ 18 O SO 4 , δ 18 O H 2 O and δ 34 S SO 4 data collected on 18 tributaries and 6 mainstem sites over two field seasons at peak flux. The geological, geomorphological and climatic diversity of the Mekong River basin make it an ideal field site to quantify the role of sulfuric acid weathering and its implications for the carbon cycle. There is a 12‰ range in both the difference between δ 18 O SO 4 and δ 18 O H 2 O (Δ 18 O SO 4 −H 2 O ) and δ 34 S in the river waters of the basin. In the Mekong tributaries, sources of sulfate are highly variable with the fraction of sulfate derived from pyrite oxidation (f pyr ) ranging from 0.19 to 0.84. In the mainstem, f pyr reflects the flux-weighted mean of these tributary inputs, with 56±7% (1σ) of the sulfate delivered to the ocean at the Mekong mouth being derived from the oxidative weathering of pyrite. As a result, we estimate that ∼70% of CO 2 consumed through silicate weathering in the Mekong basin is offset by the release of CO 2 via the dissolution of carbonates by sulfuric acid.