Storage, form, and influencing factors of karst inorganic carbon in a carbonate area in China

Carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sinks reduce the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO_(2) concentration and global warming. However, uncertainty still exists in the estimation results of carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink fluxes(CCSF), and the contributions of climate change and ecological restoration to the CCSF are not clear. To this end, we compiled published site data on ion concentrations in different watersheds in China and used a classical thermodynamic dissolution model to reassess the potential and spatial and temporal patterns of the CCSF in China from 1991 to 2020. We quantified the contributions of temperature(MAT), precipitation(MAP), evapotranspiration(ET), soil water(SM), and the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) to the CCSF. The results revealed that(1) China's CCSF was 22.76 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1), which was higher than the global average(15.77 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1)). The total carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink(CCS) was 4772.67×10^(4)t CO_(2), contributing 14.91% of the global CCS through a carbonate rock area of 252.98×10^(4)km^(-2).(2) China's CCSF decreased gradually from southeast to northwest, with values of 33.14, 12.93, and7.27 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1)in the southern karst, Qinghai-Tibetan karst, and northern karst regions, respectively.(3) The overall CCSF in China exhibited an increasing trend from 1991 to 2020, with a rate of increase of 0.16 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1).(4) The contributions of the MAP, MAT, ET, SM, and NDVI to the CCSF were 63.3%, 3.02%, 27.5%, 3.1%, and 3.05%, respectively. Among them, the increase in precipitation was the main contributor to the increase in the CCSF in China over the last 30 years, while the enhancement of ET offset part of the positive contribution of the increase in precipitation to the CCSF. In conclusion, the results of this study provide a systematic quantification of the magnitude, the patterns, and the influencing factors of CCS over a long time series in China. The results are of great significance and provide a reference for the diagnosis and gap analysis of the national and global carbon neutrality capacities.

A carbon-neutrality-capactiy index for evaluating carbon sink contributions

The accurate determination of the carbon-neutrality capacity(CNC)of a region is crucial for developing policies related to emissions and climate change.However,a systematic diagnostic method for determining the CNC that considers the rock chemical weathering carbon sink(RCS)is lacking.Moreover,it is challenging but indispensable to establish a fast and practical index model to determine the CNC.Here,we selected Guizhou as the study area,used the methods for different types of carbon sinks,and constructed a CNC index(CNCI)model.We found that:(1)the carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink flux was 30.3 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1).Guizhou accounted for 1.8%of the land area and contributed 5.4%of the carbonate chemical weathering carbon sink;(2)the silicate rock chemical weathering carbon sink and its flux were 1.44×10^(3)t CO_(2)and 2.43 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1),respectively;(3)the vegetation-soil ecosystem carbon sink and its flux were 1.37×10^(8)t CO_(2)and 831.70 t CO_(2)km^(-2)yr^(-1),respectively;(4)the carbon emissions(CEs)were 280 Tg CO_(2),about 2.8%of the total for China;and(5)the total carbon sinks in Guizhou were 160 Tg CO_(2),with a CNCI of 57%,which is 4.8 times of China and 2.1 times of the world.In summary,we conducted a systematic diagnosis of the CNC considering the RCS and established a CNCI model.The results of this study have a strong implication and significance for national and global CNC determination and gap analysis.