- H41C-04: Hydrochemical Insights into CO2 Removal and Alkalinity Transport during Watershed-Scale Enhanced Rock Weathering
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NOLA CC
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Fengchao Sun, Yale University (First Author, Presenting Author)
Robert Rioux, Yale University
Wyatt Tatge, Yale University
Quinn Zacharias, Yale University
William Miller-Brown, Yale University
Tim Jesper Suhrhoff, Yale University
James Shanley, United States Geological Survey
Noah Planavsky, Yale University
Peter Raymond, Yale University
James Saiers, Yale University
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW), such as spreading crushed basalt on agricultural land, is a promising approach to remove carbon dioxide as the rock dissolves. Yet field empirical evaluations on the pathways and rates at which ERW-derived solutes move through watersheds are still lacking. We implemented ERW at a 0.59-km2 hay-and-pasture catchment in the Sleepers River Research Watershed, Vermont. In June 2023 we applied 20 t ha⁻1 of basalt dust over 0.13 km2 and monitored streamwater chemistry (for example Ca, Mg, bicarbonate/alkalinity) biweekly to monthly. Hydrological and statistical models that isolate treatment effects from natural variations revealed clear basalt signals: stream alkalinity rose by up to 500 µeq L⁻¹, and elemental ratios shifted toward those expected from silicate dissolution. Mixing analysis showed that most of the ERW-derived alkalinity travelled along rapid subsurface flow paths rather than slow groundwater routes, indicating a short lag between dissolution in soils and the observable export to the stream. These findings demonstrate that ERW can measurably enhance carbon removal at watershed scale and provide a framework for tracking its efficiency under real hydrological conditions.
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