An Initiative for Investigation of Worldwide Weathering

矿物在地球表面风化的速率在许多环境问题中是重要的，包括土壤养分循环（亨廷顿等人，2000年）、流域酸性降水的中和作用（Drever和Hurcomb，1986年）以及大气中二氧化碳的长期减少（Berner和Berner，1997年）。矿物风化也可能控制某些环境中剥蚀或侵蚀的总体速率。在2003年秋季，我们建议召集一个由20名对风化感兴趣的地球化学家和地貌学家组成的小组，带头开展一项新的计划，在自然实验室中研究定量风化科学。全球风化研讨会（WWW）将在华盛顿特区巴尔的摩的一个小型会议中心举行，或费城，并将召集一个专家组在风化，地貌，地质微生物学和土壤形成，我们提出了一个可能的预算会议将于10月下旬在艾尔利楼，弗吉尼亚州。该小组将面临的挑战是制定一个游戏计划，组织协调努力，量化代表各种岩性，气候制度和其他特性控制土壤形成，养分通量和剥蚀的风化率。会议将主要包括来自美国的科学家，但也将带来两到三名非美国科学家，他们是低温地球化学领域的领导者。会议将拟订一份白色文件，概述正在形成的计划，以便提出一项建议，组织和协调数据收集和数据管理工作，调查世界各地地球化学环境中的风化反应。在这份提案中，我们要求NSF为最多20名参与者提供差旅和费用。该基金的更广泛影响如下：1）提高了对风化科学（包括地球化学和地貌学）领域内当前问题多样性的理解; 2）提高了美国科学家对国外风化倡议的理解; 3）制定了一项协调计划，以量化不同环境下的风化率; 4）制定一项计划，使风化科学领域的数据收集标准化; 5）制定一项计划，储存和传播来自世界各地风化站点的数据，供整个社区使用。会议组织者将总结研讨会参与者的想法，并将在会议上完成的写作纳入将在EOS上发布的文件。该文件将介绍一项拟议计划，以组织和资助一项协调努力，量化风化率并调查风化的所有方面，并将呼吁对这些专题感兴趣的低温地球化学家和地貌学家提出想法和参与。第二次公开会议将于2004年6月在纽约萨拉托加温泉举行的水岩互动11会议上举行。我们的计划是，到2005年1月，我们可能准备好提交一份完整的方案风化倡议提案。

ABSTRACTThe rates at which minerals weather at the earth's surface are important in a number of environmental issues, including soil nutrient cycling (Huntington et al., 2000), neutralization of acidic precipitation in watersheds (Drever and Hurcomb, 1986) and long-term draw-down of atmospheric CO2 (Berner and Berner, 1997). It is also possible that mineral weathering controls the overall rates of denudation or erosion in some settings. During fall 2003, we propose to convene a group of 20 geochemists and geomorphologists interested in weathering to spearhead a new program to investigate quantitative weathering science in natural laboratories. The Workshop on Worldwide Weathering (WWW) will be held in a small meeting center in either Baltimore, Washington D.C., or Philadelphia and will convene a group of experts in weathering, geomorphology, geomicrobiology, and soil formation; we present a possible budget for the meeting to be held in late October at Airlie House, Virginia. The group will be challenged to put together a game plan for organization of a coordinated effort to quantify weathering rates representing a variety of lithologies, climate regimes, and other characteristics controlling soil formation, nutrient flux, and denudation. The conference will include mainly scientists from the U.S., but will also bring in two to three non-U.S. scientists who are leaders in the field of low-temperature geochemistry. The meeting will allow the formulation of a white paper outlining the emerging plan for a proposal to organize and coordinate data-gathering and data management for investigation of weathering reactions in geochemical settings from around the world. In this proposal we ask NSF to fund travel and expenses for up to 20 participants. The broader impacts of this funding are the following: 1) improved understanding of the current diversity of questions within the field of weathering science including geochemistry and geomorphology; 2) improved understanding on the part of scientists from the U.S. of weathering initiatives occurring abroad; 3) development of a coordinated plan to quantify weathering rates in diverse settings; 4) development of a plan to standardize data gathering in the field of weathering science; 5) development of a plan to store and disseminate data from weathering sites worldwide for use by the entire community. The meeting organizers will summarize the thoughts of the workshop participants and will wordsmith the writing that is accomplished at the meeting itself into a document to be published in EOS. The document will describe a proposed plan for the organization and funding of a coordinated effort to quantify weathering rates and investigate all aspects of weathering and will call for ideas and participation from among the community of low-temperature geochemists and geomorphologists interested in these topics. A second, open meeting will then be held at the upcoming Water Rock Interaction 11 meeting in June 2004 at Saratoga Springs, NY. Our plan is that by January 2005 we may be ready to submit a full proposal for a programmatic weathering initiative.