An evaluation of abiotic carbon sinks in deserts
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Abstract Recent field studies have reported anomalous CO2 uptake using eddy‐covariance techniques in arid and semiarid ecosystems. The rates of CO2 uptake are incompatible with changes in situ of organic carbon pools. Here, I examine several potential mechanisms of abiotic CO2 uptake in arid and semiarid soils: atmospheric pressure pumping, carbonate dissolution, and percolation of soil water through the vadose zone. Each mechanism is deemed inadequate to explain the observations of the eddy‐covariance systems, which must now be questioned for their accuracy in desert ecosystems.
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Water passage through carbonate rocks enhances dissolution of carbonates into water.
“In addition, water passage through these rocks enhanced the dissolution of carbonates into the water [34,35].”
From Advanced Oxidation Processes for Degradation of Water Pollutants—Ambivalent Impact of Carbonate Species: A Review (2023) · cites this paper as [34]
The paper’s Abstract describes dissolution of soil carbonates and leaching of the resulting calcium and bicarbonate through the soil profile. It does not say that water passing through carbonate rocks enhances dissolution; its discussion concerns carbonate deposits in arid soils rather than rocks. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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Rayaroth, M. P., Boczkaj, G., Aubry, O., Aravind, U. K., & Aravindakumar, C. T. (2023) · Water · doi:10.3390/w15081615 · Cited by 171 · see citing works
“In addition, water passage through these rocks enhanced the dissolution of carbonates into the water [34,35].”
Agricultural acceleration of soil carbonate weathering
Kim, J. H., Jobbágy, E. G., Richter, D. D., Trumbore, S. E., & Jackson, R. B. (2020) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/gcb.15207 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
- Authors
- Schlesinger, W. H.
- Affiliations
- Duke University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schlesinger, William H.
- Venue
- Global Change Biology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-07-09
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 25-27
- ISSN
- 1354-1013 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2486
- OpenAlex
- W2346546693
- Cited by
- 97
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 6.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Global Change Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Soil and Unsaturated Flow
- Keywords
- desert ecosystems, arid and semi-arid soils, CO2 uptake, eddy covariance, carbonate dissolution, vadose zone, soil water percolation, soil organic carbon
- MeSH terms
- Carbon, Desert Climate, Soil, Soil Microbiology, Ecosystem, Carbon Sequestration
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