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Mineralogical Magazine; February 2008; v. 72; no. 1; p. 317-320; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.2008.072.1.317
© 2008 Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
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Session 4: Global geochemical cycles and climate change

The feedback between climate and weathering

S. R. Gislason1,*, E. H. Oelkers2, E. S. Eiriksdottir1, M. I. Kardjilov1, G. Gisladottir1, B. Sigfusson1, A. Snorrason3, S. Elefsen3, J. Hardardottir3, P. Torssander4 and N. Oskarsson1

1 Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
2 Géochimie et Biogéochimie Experimentale –LMTG/Université Paul Sabatier, 14 rue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
3 National Energy Authority, Grensásvegi 9, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland
4 Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

* E-mail: sigrg{at}raunvis.hi.is

ABSTRACT

Long-term climate moderation is commonly attributed to chemical weathering; the greater the temperature and precipitation the faster the weathering rate. To test this widely-held hypothesis, we performed a field study and determined the weathering rates of eight nearly pristine north-east Iceland river catchments with varying glacial cover over 44 y. Statistically significant linear positive correlations were found between mean annual temperature and chemical weathering in all eight catchments and between mean annual temperature and mechanical weathering and runoff in seven of the eight catchments. The runoff, mechanical weathering flux, and chemical weathering fluxes in these catchments are found to increase from 6 to 16%, 8 to 30%, and 4 to 14%, respectively, depending on the catchment for each degree of temperature increase. Positive correlations were found between time and mechanical and chemical weathering for all catchments. In summary, these results demonstrate a significant feedback between climate and Earth surface weathering, and suggest that this weathering rate is currently increasing with time due to global warming.

KEYWORDS: climate moderation, chemical weathering, CO2 fixation, global carbon cycle






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