Global Charcoal Mobilization from Soils via Dissolution and Riverine Transport 
to the Oceans

Jaffé, R.; Ding, Y.; Niggemann, J.; Vähätalo, A. V.; Stubbins, A.; Spencer, R. G. M.; Campbell, J.; Dittmar, T.

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Global Charcoal Mobilization from Soils via Dissolution and Riverine Transport to the Oceans

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Niggemann, J.
Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Max Planck Society;

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Dittmar, T.
Marine Geochemistry Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Jaffé, R., Ding, Y., Niggemann, J., Vähätalo, A. V., Stubbins, A., Spencer, R. G. M., et al. (2013). Global Charcoal Mobilization from Soils via Dissolution and Riverine Transport to the Oceans. Science, 340(6130), 345-347.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0001-C6EF-3

Abstract

Global biomass burning generates 40 million to 250 million tons of charcoal every year, part of which is preserved for millennia in soils and sediments. We have quantified dissolution products of charcoal in a wide range of rivers worldwide and show that globally, a major portion of the annual charcoal production is lost from soils via dissolution and subsequent transport to the ocean. The global flux of soluble charcoal accounts to 26.5 +/- 1.8 million tons per year, which is similar to 10% of the global riverine flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We suggest that the mobilization of charcoal and DOC out of soils is mechanistically coupled. This study closes a major gap in the global charcoal budget and provides critical information in the context of geoengineering.