Nonprofit organization Cascade Climate has launched a new digital tool that points to locations around the globe that offer favorable conditions for deploying enhanced rock weathering (ERW) as a carbon removal solution.
The tool, named the Weathering Potential Explorer, represents a digital interactive map that indicates regions where the atmospheric conditions create a suitable environment for rapid silicate weathering.
While rock weathering has long been used by farmers for improving the fertility and pH of soils, enhanced rock weathering takes this practice further by turning it into a carbon removal method that hinges on many factors to deliver successful, climate-relevant results.
In its essence, ERW facilitates a chemical reaction between alkaline rocks and minerals and soil water.
When these types of rocks are spread on soil, the reactive minerals dissolve and consume acidity, releasing calcium and magnesium and creating bicarbonate ions or carbonate minerals that trap CO2 and then transport it via river systems to the ocean, where the carbon dioxide remains locked away for long periods of time.
The efficacy of this method largely depends on the speed with which the rocks will dissolve, and this weathering process is sensitive to a number of environmental factors such as temperature, soil moisture, and soil water pH.¹.
This range of factors determines the acidity, reactiveness, and mobility of the soil solution, influencing its capacity to break down minerals.
Compiling globally available datasets on land cover, temperature, and soil organic CO2, moisture and water pH, the Weathering Potential Explorer offers a streamlined ERW potential assessment by estimating where silicate weathering may hold the greatest potential.
Relevant: The Data Quarry Platform By Cascade Climate Is Now Live, Offering Real-World Info On ERW
While highlighting promising regions for further exploration, the developers explain that due to the lack of coverage of the full range of variables that can impact ERW effectiveness, the Weathering Potential Explorer does not provide definitive answers as a site selection tool.
With this consideration in mind, this digital tool still offers valuable insights for project developers and can serve as a complementary asset to more in-depth deployment strategies.
Read more: The Carbon Drawdown Initiative Unlocks Testing Innovation For ERW Effectiveness
