PreprintArticleVersion 2This version is not peer-reviewed
A New Look at Physico-Chemical Causes of Changing Climate: Is Strong Acid Production Lowering the Surface pH Value a Continuing Cause of Increasing pCO2 in the Earth’s Atmosphere?
Version 1
: Received: 26 March 2024 / Approved: 26 March 2024 / Online: 26 March 2024 (12:30:46 CET)
Version 2
: Received: 30 July 2024 / Approved: 31 July 2024 / Online: 31 July 2024 (08:57:07 CEST)
How to cite:
Kennedy, I. R.; Crossan, A. N.; Runcie, J. W.; Ritchie, R. J. A New Look at Physico-Chemical Causes of Changing Climate: Is Strong Acid Production Lowering the Surface pH Value a Continuing Cause of Increasing pCO2 in the Earth’s Atmosphere?. Preprints2024, 2024031601. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1601.v2
Kennedy, I. R.; Crossan, A. N.; Runcie, J. W.; Ritchie, R. J. A New Look at Physico-Chemical Causes of Changing Climate: Is Strong Acid Production Lowering the Surface pH Value a Continuing Cause of Increasing pCO2 in the Earth’s Atmosphere?. Preprints 2024, 2024031601. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1601.v2
Kennedy, I. R.; Crossan, A. N.; Runcie, J. W.; Ritchie, R. J. A New Look at Physico-Chemical Causes of Changing Climate: Is Strong Acid Production Lowering the Surface pH Value a Continuing Cause of Increasing pCO2 in the Earth’s Atmosphere?. Preprints2024, 2024031601. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1601.v2
APA Style
Kennedy, I. R., Crossan, A. N., Runcie, J. W., & Ritchie, R. J. (2024). A New Look at Physico-Chemical Causes of Changing Climate: Is Strong Acid Production Lowering the Surface pH Value a Continuing Cause of Increasing <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> in the Earth’s Atmosphere?. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1601.v2
Chicago/Turabian Style
Kennedy, I. R., John W. Runcie and Raymond J. Ritchie. 2024 "A New Look at Physico-Chemical Causes of Changing Climate: Is Strong Acid Production Lowering the Surface pH Value a Continuing Cause of Increasing <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> in the Earth’s Atmosphere?" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1601.v2
Abstract
A testable hypothesis with quantitative predictions is put forward, proposing that strong acids produced on land at a rate correlated with global population are an increas-ing cause of increasing atmospheric CO2 pressure (pCO2). This hypothesis widens the imbalance assumed between the global uptake of CO2 by photosynthesis and emissions of CO2 from all sources, including the combustion of fossil fuels, causing greater atmos-pheric pCO2. Our modelling tests for reactions of dissolved inorganic carbon show that increasing atmospheric CO2 is caused thermodynamically by falling land surface pH values, but only with bicarbonate present. Strong acids generated by oxygen from re-duced inorganic compounds of nitrogen and sulphur emit CO2 almost stoichiometrically from dissolved bicarbonate in the pH range of most global soils, between 6 to above 8. We show that each decrease of aqueous pH value of 0.01 units from acidification of sur-face water near pH 8 potentially increases the pCO2 in the atmosphere by about 7 ppmv. The surface pH value of the ocean near 8.10 in 2000 has been shown to decrease at this rate, a result of equilibrating with the rising atmospheric pCO2. Therefore, our qualita-tive estimates of increasing atmospheric CO2 driven by irreversible acidification on land are critical and need broad scale validation. Unfortunately, these acidifying processes on land from excessive nitrogen fertiliser, export of alkaline produce from farmlands and other processes were not considered by previous biogeochemical reviews. However, several very recent research studies showing CO2 emissions from soil during nitrifica-tion are consistent with our hypothesis. Despite counter measures to curb excessive CO2 emissions, including carbon capture and geological storage, the increasing Keeling curve for pCO2 may continue to rise because zero carbon policies do not address these causes. We recommend that this hypothesis be further tested by in situ experiments in neutral soils and water, designed to compare CO2 emissions under the acidifying conditions de-scribed in this article. Corrective counter measures can then be designed and applied.
Keywords
CO2 emissions from bicarbonate; climate change; soil pH; alkalinity of plant produce; acidifying nitrification; limestone as soil ameliorant
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
