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Title: Increased carbon capture by a silicate-treated forested watershed affected by acid deposition
Abstract. Meeting internationally agreed-upon climate targets requirescarbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies coupled with an urgent phase-down offossil fuel emissions. However, the efficacy and wider impacts of CDR arepoorly understood. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a land-based CDRstrategy 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 withincreased forest productivity led to net CDR of 8.5–11.5 t CO2 ha−1. Our results demonstrate that ERW may be an effective, scalableCDR strategy for acid-impacted forests but at large scales requiressustainable sources of silicate rock dust.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1637685
NSF-PAR ID:
10214831
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Biogeosciences
Volume:
18
Issue:
1
ISSN:
1726-4189
Page Range / eLocation ID:
169 to 188
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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