Laboratory Observation of the Buffering Effect of Aragonite Dissolution at the Seafloor

Type : ACL
Nature : Production scientifique
Au bénéfice du Laboratoire : Non
Statut de publication : Publié
Année de publication : 2024
Auteurs (10) : VAN DE MORTEL Hanna DELAIGUE Louise HUMPHREYS Matthew,p MIDDELBURG J,j OSSEBAAR Sharyn BAKKER K TRABUCHO ALEXANDRE João, p. VAN LEEUWEN-TOLBOOM Anita, w. e. WOLTHERS Mariette SULPIS Olivier
Revue scientifique : Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
Volume : 129
Fascicule : 2
Pages :
DOI : 10.1029/2023JG007581
URL : https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2023JG007581
Abstract : Abstract Carbon dioxide entering and acidifying the ocean can be neutralized by the dissolution of calcium carbonate, which is mainly found in two mineral forms. Calcite is the more stable form and is often found in deep-sea sediments, whilst aragonite is more soluble and therefore rarely preserved. Recent research shows aragonite may account for a much larger portion of marine calcium carbonate export to the ocean interior via the biological pump than previously thought, and that aragonite does reach the deep sea and seafloor despite rarely being buried. If aragonite is present and dissolving at the seafloor it will raise local pH and calcium and carbonate concentrations, potentially enough to inhibit calcite dissolution, representing a deep-sea, carbonate version of galvanization. Here, we test this hypothesis by simulating aragonite dissolution at the sediment-water interface in the laboratory and measuring its effects on pH using microsensors. We show that the addition of aragonite to calcite sediment, overlain by seawater undersaturated with respect to both minerals, results in an unchanged alkalinity flux out of the dissolving sediment, suggesting a decrease the net dissolution rate of calcite. In combination with a diagenetic model, we show that aragonite dissolution can suppress calcite dissolution in the top millimeters of the seabed, locally leading to calcite precipitation within 1 day. Future research efforts should quantify this galvanization effect in situ, as this process may represent an important component of the marine carbon cycle, assigning a key role to aragonite producers in controlling ocean alkalinity and preserving climatic archives.
Mots-clés : marine geochemistry, carbon cycling
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Citation :
Van de Mortel H, Delaigue L, Humphreys MP, Middelburg JJ, Ossebaar S, Bakker K, Trabucho Alexandre J , Van Leeuwen-Tolboom A , Wolthers M, Sulpis O (2024) Laboratory Observation of the Buffering Effect of Aragonite Dissolution at the Seafloor. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 129 | doi: 10.1029/2023JG007581