Progress in the study on karst processes and carbon cycle

Link to Full Text

Download Full Text

Publication Date

11-15-2022

Publication Title

Geological Science and Technology Bulletin

Volume Number

41

Issue Number

5

Abstract

Carbonate weathering is a crucial component of the global carbon cycle, exhibiting both atmospheric and soil CO2 sink effects. Driven by ecosystem factors and influenced by global change, carbon sinks in karst regions possess both surface and subsurface characteristics. This paper briefly introduces the relationship between karst carbon cycling and global change, discusses relevant scientific issues and major advancements in karst carbon sinks, analyzes the potential for karst carbon sink enhancement and land use change, and further proposes a conceptual model of carbonate weathering processes based on the concept of karst critical zones. Carbon sinks generated by carbonate weathering may be contributors to the "missed carbon sinks" of the global carbon cycle, while also mitigating soil CO2 release into the atmosphere, thus becoming an important regulator (source reduction effect) of the "land use change term" (E LUC ) in global carbon cycle models. Carbonate weathering processes can rapidly respond to short-term environmental changes and are a core driving mechanism connecting biological, hydrological, and geochemical processes in karst critical zones. The karst carbon cycle can be understood as an extension or lateral component of the soil-ecosystem carbon cycle, together forming a complete shallow terrestrial carbon cycle system in karst regions. The negative feedback effect of carbonate rock weathering on the rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration , coupled with the ongoing efforts in rocky desertification control and ecological restoration, reveals enormous potential for karst carbon sequestration and enhancement. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen the monitoring and research of seasonal and regional changes in soil CO2, and to construct an inverse model based on the correlation between soil CO2 and watershed hydrochemical indicators. This would provide clearer and more effective karst carbon sequestration enhancement schemes and approaches for estimating regional carbon sink baselines and assessing interannual carbon sink increments and potential reduction.

Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/ 10.19509/j.cnki.dzkq.2022.0193

Language

Chinese, English

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS