Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India
The chemical composition of meltwater-draining Himalayan glacierized basins reflects the dominance of carbonic acid in weathering of silicate and carbonate minerals, yet the role of sulfuric acid-mediated reactions in the mineral weathering and ionic release is still unclear. Here, we present a long...
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Cambridge University Press
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
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| author | Shipika Sundriyal Tanuj Shukla Shichang Kang Yulan Zhang Dwarika Prasad Dobhal Rajesh Singh |
| author_facet | Shipika Sundriyal Tanuj Shukla Shichang Kang Yulan Zhang Dwarika Prasad Dobhal Rajesh Singh |
| author_sort | Shipika Sundriyal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The chemical composition of meltwater-draining Himalayan glacierized basins reflects the dominance of carbonic acid in weathering of silicate and carbonate minerals, yet the role of sulfuric acid-mediated reactions in the mineral weathering and ionic release is still unclear. Here, we present a long-term study (1992–2018) of chemical weathering characteristics of a precipitation-dominated glacierized basin (Dokriani glacier) of central Himalaya. By using new and reprocessed datasets of major ions from the glacial/subglacial zones of the glacier, we suggest that two-thirds of the dissolved load of the meltwater derives from sulfuric acid-mediated weathering of minerals and rocks. We observed a clear control of carbonic acid-mediated reactions in the early ablation periods, while sulfuric acid-mediated reactions dominate in peak and late ablation periods. The slopes and intercepts in best-fit regressions of [*Ca2+ + *Mg2+ vs *SO42− and HCO3−] and [HCO3− vs *SO42−] in meltwater were following the stoichiometric parameters of sulfide oxidation coupled to carbonate dissolution reactions. The glaciers of the central and western Himalaya are in good agreement with the present estimates. We contend that the bedrock lithology has limited or second-order effects over the ionic release from Himalayan glaciers and surmise that these patterns are broadly applicable to the other orogenic systems of the world. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
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| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7881e79e32734fc89461d2bfb9e898722025-01-16T21:50:16ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522024-01-017010.1017/jog.2023.108Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, IndiaShipika Sundriyal0Tanuj Shukla1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9874-1282Shichang Kang2Yulan Zhang3Dwarika Prasad Dobhal4Rajesh Singh5State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, ChinaWadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun 248001, IndiaEnvironmental Hydrology Division, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee 247667, IndiaThe chemical composition of meltwater-draining Himalayan glacierized basins reflects the dominance of carbonic acid in weathering of silicate and carbonate minerals, yet the role of sulfuric acid-mediated reactions in the mineral weathering and ionic release is still unclear. Here, we present a long-term study (1992–2018) of chemical weathering characteristics of a precipitation-dominated glacierized basin (Dokriani glacier) of central Himalaya. By using new and reprocessed datasets of major ions from the glacial/subglacial zones of the glacier, we suggest that two-thirds of the dissolved load of the meltwater derives from sulfuric acid-mediated weathering of minerals and rocks. We observed a clear control of carbonic acid-mediated reactions in the early ablation periods, while sulfuric acid-mediated reactions dominate in peak and late ablation periods. The slopes and intercepts in best-fit regressions of [*Ca2+ + *Mg2+ vs *SO42− and HCO3−] and [HCO3− vs *SO42−] in meltwater were following the stoichiometric parameters of sulfide oxidation coupled to carbonate dissolution reactions. The glaciers of the central and western Himalaya are in good agreement with the present estimates. We contend that the bedrock lithology has limited or second-order effects over the ionic release from Himalayan glaciers and surmise that these patterns are broadly applicable to the other orogenic systems of the world.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143023001089/type/journal_articleChemical weatheringglaciersHimalayaion stoichiometrysulfide oxidation |
| spellingShingle | Shipika Sundriyal Tanuj Shukla Shichang Kang Yulan Zhang Dwarika Prasad Dobhal Rajesh Singh Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India Journal of Glaciology Chemical weathering glaciers Himalaya ion stoichiometry sulfide oxidation |
| title | Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India |
| title_full | Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India |
| title_fullStr | Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India |
| title_short | Controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends: new insights from the precipitation-dominated Dokriani glacier, central Himalaya, India |
| title_sort | controls of lithology and climate over chemical weathering trends new insights from the precipitation dominated dokriani glacier central himalaya india |
| topic | Chemical weathering glaciers Himalaya ion stoichiometry sulfide oxidation |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143023001089/type/journal_article |
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