Inclusion of a suite of weathering tracers in the cGENIE Earth System Model – muffin release v.0.9.10

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Journal article

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Abstract

Abstract. The metals strontium (Sr), lithium (Li), osmium (Os) and calcium (Ca) and their isotopes are important tracers in the study of changes in weathering rates and volcanism, two main processes which shape the long-term cycling of carbon and other biogeochemically important elements at the Earth's surface. Traditionally, isotopic shifts of these four elements in the geologic record are interpreted with isotope-mixing, tracer-specific box models because of their long residence times in the ocean. However, these models often lack mechanistic links between the cycling of the four metals and other geochemically relevant elements, particularly carbon. Here we develop and evaluate the implementation of Sr, Li, Os and Ca isotopes into the Earth system model cGENIE. The model has the potential to study these metal systems at equilibrium and under perturbations alongside other biogeochemical cycles. We provide examples of how to apply this new model to investigate Sr, Li, Os and Ca isotope dynamics and responses to environmental change.

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