Based on the correlated increase of alkalinity (At) with that of silicic acid concentration [Si] in the Atlantic Ocean, the contemporaneous dissolution of carbonates and opal in the water column has been proposed as the mechanism for alkalinity production. We revisited existing datasets to examine, in greater detail, the relationship between oceanic At, [Si], total dissolved inorganic carbon (TIC) and its carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C), to examine which of the two possible alkalinity sources, carbonate dissolution or silicate mineral weathering, is the most probable source of alkalinity.
We invariably find that At and [Si] are correlated and the slope ΔAt/ΔSi is almost identical for the intermediate water (2 < potential temperature, θ < 8 °C) of Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. The At and [Si] correlation is difficult to explain by carbonate + opal dissolution, since the carbonate and biogenic opal production rates differ widely among the ocean basins.
We investigated the carbon sources from δ13C measurement of total dissolved inorganic carbon (TIC) in the intermediate water (2 < θ < 8 °C) and in the deeper water (θ < 2 °C), separately. Waters characterized by the same pH are used in the investigation, since the δ13C of TIC generated during carbonate dissolution is constrained. In the intermediate water, the resulting data do not support the notion of carbonate dissolution as the alkalinity source, whereas in the deeper water both carbonate dissolution and silicate mineral weathering are shown as the producers of alkalinity. Carbonate dissolution only acts to relocate surface alkalinity to the deep water. We infer that dissolution of terrigenous silicate minerals within the oceans (a process we refer to as “ocean silicate weathering”) is the primary source of alkalinity in the oceans. This interpretation also explains the linear relationship between At and [Si] in the water.
Our findings do not contradict the conventional understanding of oceanic silicon cycles, if biogenic opal contains weatherable siliceous material. We previously showed that such matter is present in diatom frustules. Its uptake by fauna in deep water may provide a compelling explanation for the coupling of increases in [Si] and At. It is shown that ocean silicate weathering is a key to understanding the mechanism of CO2 absorption by the ocean.
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