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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Tom ReershemiusORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
We discuss the “monitoring, reporting and verification” (MRV) strategy of Enhanced Weathering (EW) based on carbon accounting and argue that in open systems such as arable land, this approach is ill-suited to close the balance of all carbon fluxes. We argue for total alkalinity (TA) as the central parameter for the carbon based MRV of EW. However, we also stress that tracking alkalinity fluxes using a systems-level approach is best done by focusing on charge balance maintenance through time. We start by explaining the concept and history of alkalinity conceptualization for the oceans. The same analytical method first proposed for the oceans – titration with a strong acid – is now commonly used for porewaters in agricultural soils. We explain why this is an accurate analysis for ocean water and why it is unsuitable to record TA for porewaters in agricultural soils. We then introduce an alternative MRV based on cation accounting and finally discuss the fate of cations released from the weathering of basalt, soil cation dynamics and close by suggesting open research questions.
Author(s): Bijma J, Hagens M, Hammes JS, Planavsky N, Pogge von Strandmann PAE, Reershemius T, Reinhard CT, Renforth P, Suhrhoff TJ, Vicca S, Vienne A, Wolf-Gladrow D
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Biogeosciences
Year: 2026
Volume: 23
Issue: 1
Pages: 53-75
Print publication date: 05/01/2026
Online publication date: 05/01/2026
Acceptance date: 27/11/2025
Date deposited: 05/01/2026
ISSN (print): 1726-4170
ISSN (electronic): 1726-4189
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
URL: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-53-2026
DOI: 10.5194/bg-23-53-2026
Data Access Statement: No data sets were used in this article.
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