Researchers report that glacial meltwaters in Canada, containing little organic matter and abundant carbonate and silicate mineral sediments, are a net carbon dioxide sink due to the consumption of carbon dioxide in mineral weathering reactions; glacial meltwaters worldwide may also be unrecognized sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to the authors.
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Article # 19-04241: "Proglacial freshwaters are significant and previously unrecognized sinks of atmospheric CO2," by Kyra A. St. Pierre et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kyra A. St. Pierre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CANADA; e-mail: kyra2@ualberta.ca
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences