Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2024, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (5): 449-459.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2024.2.13

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Weathering process and carbon sink effect of carbonates in typical karst small basin

CHEN Fajia1,2(), XIAO Qiong2,3,*, HU Xiangyun1, GUO Yongli2, SUN Ping’an2, ZHANG Ning2   

  1. 1. School of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
    2. MNR & Guangxi Key Laboratory of Karst Dynamics, Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences/International Research Center on Karst Under the Auspices of UNESCO, Guilin 541004, China
    3. Pingguo, Guangxi Karst Ecosystem, National Observation and Research Station, Pingguo 531406, China
  • Received:2023-04-24 Revised:2023-06-15 Online:2024-09-25 Published:2024-10-11

Abstract:

Carbonate weathering is a process of absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, exhibiting a carbon sink effect. Utilizing the hydrogeochemical characteristics of water in karst areas to reveal the weathering process of carbonate rocks and calculate karst carbon sink fluxes in basins is an important aspect of global change research. A case study of the Guancun Groundwater (GGW) in Liuzhou, Guangxi, with monitoring results from four seasons in 2021, showed that: (1) The main anion in the basin is $\mathrm{HCO}_{3}^{-}$, and the main cation is Ca2+. The equivalent concentrations and TDS of anions and cations reflect the intense weathering of carbonate rocks. (2) Based on the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of its hydrochemistry, the GGW belongs to the HCO3-Ca type. Besides the weathering of carbonate rocks by H2CO3, the weathering by H2SO4 and HNO3 also occurs in water-rock interactions. (3) Considering the combined water-rock interaction process involving H2CO3, H2SO4 and HNO3, the average CO2 consumption by H2CO3 weathering of carbonate rocks is calculated using δ13CDIC as 2.38 mmol/L. The net CO2 consumption is expressed as [$\mathrm{HCO}_{3}^{-}$]mol-[Ca2++Mg2+]mol, with an average net CO2 consumption of 1.98 mmol/L. The inorganic carbon sink intensity (Cm) of the GGW is 86.37 tCO2·km-2·a-1. (4) However, the inorganic carbon sink intensity (Cm) of this groundwater, calculated using the hydrochemical-runoff method, is 94.49 tCO2·km-2·a-1. The net CO2 consumption is 91.41% of the CO2 sink calculated by the hydrochemical-runoff method. (5) The carbon sink intensity in 2021 was 1.91 times that of 2008, providing a reference for assessing the potential to increase the karst carbon sink through artificial intervention.

Key words: carbonate rocks weathering, Guancun Groundwater (GGW), exogenous acid, net CO2 consumption, inorganic carbon sink intensity

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