Eco-hydrological versus supply-limited weathering regimes and the potential for biotic enhancement of weathering at the global scale
2011
Arens, Susanne | Kleidon, A. (Axel)
Biotic enhancement of weathering (BEW) has been proposed to substantially alter the geologic C cycle but the large scale impact of small scale biotic processes remains elusive, especially when compared to large scale drivers of weathering such as climate and crustal uplift. A global land surface model was used to estimate the potential strength of BEW for two contrasting types of weathering regimes that are either limited by the supply of fresh parent material by uplift or controlled by the climatic and eco-hydrological conditions. The biospheric effect on soil CO₂ in the model was then removed in order to determine the reduction of weathering rates and thereby to infer BEW. It was found that only those areas that are not supply limited are susceptible to biotic enhancement. This indicates that the potential for BEW depends directly on the supply of fresh material and thus on crustal uplift.
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