Water geochemistry of the Qiantangjiang River, East China: Chemical weathering and CO2 consumption in a basin affected by severe acid deposition

• 59.7% of SO42− is derived from atmospheric input in Qiantangjiang River.
• Weathering rateCat is 4.9 ton km−2 a−1 for silicate and 13.9 ton km−2 a−1 for carbonate.
• CO2 consumption rate drops 23% when considering sulfuric acid weathering effect.

The chemical composition of the Qiantangjiang River, the largest river in Zhejiang province in eastern China, was measured to understand the chemical weathering of rocks and the associated CO2 consumption and anthropogenic influences within a silicate-dominated river basin. The average total dissolved solids (TDS, 113 mg l−1) and total cation concentration (TZ+, 1357 μeq l−1) of the river waters are comparable with those of global major rivers. Ca2+ and HCO3− followed by Na2+ and SO42−, dominate the ionic composition of the river water. There are four major reservoirs (carbonates, silicates, atmospheric and anthropogenic inputs) contributing to the total dissolved load of the investigated rivers. The dissolved loads of the rivers are dominated by both carbonate and silicate weathering, which together account for about 76.3% of the total cationic load origin. The cationic chemical weathering rates of silicate and carbonate for the Qiantangjiang basin are estimated to be approximately 4.9 ton km−2 a−1 and 13.9 ton km−2 a−1, respectively. The calculated CO2 consumption rates with the assumption that all the protons involved in the weathering reaction are provided by carbonic acid are 369 × 103 mol km−2 a−1 and 273 × 103 mol km−2 a−1 by carbonate and silicate weathering, respectively. As one of the most severe impacted area by acid rain in China, H2SO4 from acid precipitation is also an important proton donor in weathering reactions. When H2SO4 is considered, the CO2 consumption rates for the river basin are estimated at 286 × 103 mol km−2 a−1 for carbonate weathering and 211 × 103 mol km−2 a−1 for silicate weathering, respectively. The results highlight that the drawdown effect of CO2 consumption by carbonate and silicate weathering can be largely overestimated if the role of sulfuric acid is ignored, especially in the area heavily impacted by acid deposition like Qiantangjiang basin. The actual CO2 consumption rates (after sulfuric acid weathering effect deduction) is only about 77% of the value calculated with the assumption that carbonic acid donates all the protons involved in the weathering reaction.