Coastal El Niño triggers rapid marine silicate alteration on the seafloor

Sonja Geilert (), Daniel A. Frick, Dieter Garbe-Schönberg, Florian Scholz, Stefan Sommer, Patricia Grasse, Christoph Vogt and Andrew W. Dale
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Sonja Geilert: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Daniel A. Frick: Section Earth Surface Geochemistry
Dieter Garbe-Schönberg: University of Kiel
Florian Scholz: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Stefan Sommer: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Patricia Grasse: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Christoph Vogt: University of Bremen
Andrew W. Dale: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Marine silicate alteration plays a key role in the global carbon and cation cycles, although the timeframe of this process in response to extreme weather events is poorly understood. Here we investigate surface sediments across the Peruvian margin before and after extreme rainfall and runoff (coastal El Niño) using Ge/Si ratios and laser-ablated solid and pore fluid Si isotopes (δ30Si). Pore fluids following the rainfall show elevated Ge/Si ratios (2.87 µmol mol−1) and δ30Si values (3.72‰), which we relate to rapid authigenic clay formation from reactive terrigenous minerals delivered by continental runoff. This study highlights the direct coupling of terrestrial erosion and associated marine sedimentary processes. We show that marine silicate alteration can be rapid and highly dynamic in response to local weather conditions, with a potential impact on marine alkalinity and CO2-cycling on short timescales of weeks to months, and thus element turnover on human time scales.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37186-5

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