Biological Weathering and Carbon Cycling: New Discussion on the Process of Weathering and the Role of Biological Pump in the Ocean

Abstract

This paper begins with how the author became interested in biological weathering and ends with proposing a way to use it to challenge the current problem on the atmospheric carbon dioxide. I describe experimental evidence showing that biological weathering is a physiological activity for some plants and indicating that diatoms dissolve silicate minerals to incorporate elements from silicate minerals into their silica frustules, thus, in effect, participate in weathering. Furthermore, it is shown that weathering in the ocean plays pivotal roles in the carbon cycle and that this is the key to understanding the carbon behavior during the glacial cycles. Two amendments have been introduced to the discussion since the publication of the author’s book in 2022: ocean weathering proceeds independently of organic matter oxidation; and the index representing oceanic carbon dioxide absorption should exclude factors related to photosynthetic activity in the surface ocean.