Alkalinity budget

Otsuki, A., and R. G. Wetzel. 1974a. Calcium and total alkalinity budgets and calcium carbonate precipitation of a small hard-water lake. Archiv fur Hydrobiologie 73 14—30. 

Betzer et al. (1984, 1986) studied the sedimentation of pteropods and foraminifera in the North Pacific. Their sediment trap results confirmed that considerable dissolution of pteropods was taking place in the water column. They calculated that approximately 90% of the aragonite flux was remineralized in the upper 2.2 km of the water column. Dissolution was estimated to be almost enough to balance the alkalinity budget for the intermediate water maximum of the Pacific Ocean. It should be noted that the depth for total dissolution in the water column is considerably deeper than the aragonite compensation depth. This is probably due to the short residence time of pteropods in the water column because of their rapid rates of sinking. 

Spivack A. J. and Staudigel H. (1994) Low-temperature alteration of the upper oceanic crust and the alkalinity budget of seawater. Chem. Geol. 115, 239-247. 

If we omit the ions contributing little or no net gain (i.e., Fe2+, NH4+, and probably Mn2+) to the alkalinity generated in the hypolimnion during August 1990, the decrease in sulfate between the epilimnion and hypolimnion was responsible for about 50% of the increase in alkalinity the increase in Ca2+ was responsible for 30%. Increases in Mg2 and K+ contributed 7 and 6%, respectively. The increase in Al3+ contributed about 5%, but this cannot be considered to be mitigative because of the toxicity of aluminum to aquatic biota. The relative contributions of each ion to the hypolimnetic alkalinity are similar to the relative contributions to whole-basin alkalinity as determined by ion budgets. 

Four forms of the basic IAG model (27, 46) are described here to predict rates of recovery of LRL alkalinity. The models are described in order of increasing complexity and realism, reflecting the inclusion of IAG contributions from more biogeochemical processes (4,17). As previously discussed, chemical budgets from the first 3 years of acidification indicated that the main processes controlling IAG are sulfate reduction and cation production by ion exchange (in order of importance). Effects of nitrate and ammonium retention roughly cancel each other (in terms of net alkalinity production) (17). 

Several whole-lake ion budgets have shown that internal alkalinity generation (IAG) is important in regulating the alkalinity of groundwater recharge lakes and that sulfate retention processes are the dominant source of IAG (3-5)1 and synoptic studies (6-9) have shown that sulfate reduction occurs in sediments from a wide variety of softwater lakes. Baker et al. (10) showed that net sulfate retention in lakes can be modeled as a first-order process with respect to sulfate concentration and several "whole ecosystem" models of lake acidification recently have been modified to include in-lake processes (11). 

Conversely, don t rely on these therapies alone to counter acidity in your body. The best way to balance your biochemistry is to eat and drink more alkaline foods and make wise acid choices. Try to exercise at least three to five times a week, breathe deeply whenever you can, enjoy these wonderful therapies as your time and budget permit, and you ll be well on your way to kicking acid. 

In this reaction, there is a net transfer of Ca " " (or Mg + in the case of magnesium carbonates) from the continental crust to the ocean, a creation of two equivalents of alkalinity and a transfer to the river system of two moles of carbon per mole of Ca " ", one coming from the crust, the other one from the atmosphere. Once the weathering products reach the ocean, they will increase the saturation state of surface waters with respect to calcite and induce rapidly (within 10 years) the biologically driven precipitation of one mole of CaC03 followed by its deposition on the seafloor. The precipitation-deposition reaction is the reverse of reaction [1]. The net carbon budget of the weathering of carbonate minerals followed by deposition of sedimentary carbonate is thus equal to zero. 

Chen CTA (1996) The Kuroshio intermediate water is the major source of nutrients on the East China Sea continental shelf. Oceanol Acta 19(5) 523-527 Chen CTA, Huang MH (1995) Carbonate chemistry and the anthropogenic CO2 in the South China. Sea. Acta Oceanol Sin 14(l) 47-57 Chen CTA, Wang SL (1999) Carbon, alkalinity and nutrient budgets on the East China. Sea continental shelf. J Geophys Res 104(C9) 20675-20686... 

In Chapter 4.2.5, we said that OH is the strongest existing base. According to the above reaction, it would be the corresponding weakest acid and, as a consequence, the hypothetical ion 02 would be the strongest base. All these reactions can produce alkalinity from water according to the budget reaction ... 

Eshleman, K.N., Hemond, H.F., 1988. Alkalinity and major ion budgets for a Massachusetts reservoir and watershed. Limnol. Oceanogr. 33 (2), 174-185. 

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