Abstract
With the enhanced warming and acidification of global ocean, whether and to what extent the naturally-weathered fluvial sediment into the sea can release elements and thus influence the geochemical process and ecosystem of global ocean remain to be resolved. In this contribution, an experimental study was carried out to examine the release rates of major elements (Ca, K, Mg and Al) from the surface sediments in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary under the pH values of 4.0, 6.0 and 7.0. The two studied sediments consist primarily of quartz, plagioclase, calcite and clay minerals, with the BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller) surface areas of 61.7 m2 g−1 and 23.1 m2 g−1. Major elements of Ca, K, Mg and Al show different release rates under different solution pH values. With the decreasing solution pH, the release rates of Ca and K increase obviously, while the release rates of Mg and Al increase with the initial solution pH varying from 6.0 to 7.0. The different release rates of these elements are closely related to the original mineral composition of the sediments and the reaction kinetics. Based on the experimental observation, quartz and clay minerals that have low dissolution rates may dominate the major element release to the aqueous phase. This study reveals that the enhancing ocean acidification could cause considerable release of major elements from natural terrigenous sediments into the ambient marine environment, which has to be considered carefully in the future study on global change.
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Guo, Y., Yang, S. An experimental study on major element release from the sediments in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary. J. Ocean Univ. China 14, 417–424 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-015-2772-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-015-2772-0