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5 - Weathering Processes in the Anthropocene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2016

Andrew S. Goudie
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
Heather A. Viles
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

Human activities have changed the nature and rate of weathering, although quantitative assessments are scarce and complexities great. Weathering is highly influenced by climatic, biological and erosional processes. Over the palaeoanthropocene, there is evidence from various parts of the world that changes in agriculture and settlement led to changes in chemical weathering. During the Industrial Era, human impacts on air quality, soil quality (salinization) and deforestation have had demonstrable impacts on weathering across large areas. One of the prime causes of increasing rates of weathering during this period has been air pollution. As a result of increased emissions of sulphur dioxide through the burning of fossil fuels, there are higher levels of sulphuric acid in precipitation over many industrial areas. Besides accelerating decay, chemical reactions involving sulphur dioxide can also generate salts such as calcium sulphate and magnesium sulphate, which may be effective in causing salt weathering and the formation of crusts on exposed surfaces. Salt weathering can also be accelerated by changes in groundwater levels resulting from such mechanisms as irrigation, vegetation clearance and urbanisation. There are records from many parts of the tropics of accelerated induration of lateritic mantles brought about by forest removal. Within the Great Acceleration concerns have grown over the impacts of global change (increased atmospheric CO2 levels and temperatures, changing precipitation) on chemical weathering of silicate and carbonate rocks, and on building stone deterioration. In the future changes in CO2, temperatures and precipitation will exert a strong influence on weathering, coupled with, and complicated by, changes in land use. Proposals have also been made to use enhanced terrestrial weathering as a form of geoengineering to combat future climate change.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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