Subsoil acidity causes long delays in inorganic carbon sequestration by Enhanced Weathering

While a looming atmospheric CO$_2$ overshoot calls for immediate carbon sequestration, delays associated to Enhanced Weathering (EW) carbon dioxide removal are being investigated.

Topsoil acidity is already known to delay EW carbon sequestration, but subsoil acidity remains underexplored.

Using century-long agricultural liming of formerly acidic heathland as a proxy for EW, this study provides empirical evidence of subsoil-imposed delays.

Below such limed terrain, we observed a downward-progressing front of topsoil-produced alkalinity that still requires 30-100 years to penetrate the approximately 5 m thick acidic sandy unsaturated zone and reach the groundwater table.

Subsoil acidity thus may cause beyond-reasonable delays, prohibiting EW as a viable short-term carbon capture strategy even on topsoils made non-acidic by preceding liming.

When planning EW schemes, the amounts of stored acidic cations in top- and subsoil, as well as the rate and composition of infiltrating water, controlling the duration of the delay, require careful assessment.