GoKawiilStudy finds farm lime use in Mississippi River Basin acts as CO2 sink, not source
Researchers combined century-long river chemistry records, reconstructed acidity and alkalinity inputs, and reactive transport modeling to assess whether agricultural liming in the Mississippi River Basin has released or absorbed CO2 over time. Using discharge and alkalinity data, historic Ca/Mg/SO4/nitrate measurements, and a model called SCEPTER, they built a spatial budget comparing acid inputs from fertilizer, manure and atmospheric deposition against alkalinity from lime application.
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The findings could reshape how agricultural liming is counted in carbon accounting, since lime application is often assumed to release CO2 through carbonate dissolution but may instead offset acidity from farming practices, effectively sequestering carbon. This suggests large-scale farming regions like the Mississippi basin could have an underappreciated role in regional carbon budgets, though the researchers note significant uncertainty remains in reconstructing decades of historical acid and alkalinity inputs.
- Agricultural liming across the Mississippi River Basin appears to function as a net CO2 sink rather than a source, according to the study's modeling.
- The analysis relies on decades of USGS river chemistry data plus a reactive transport model (SCEPTER) to separate acid and alkalinity contributions.
- Findings could influence how carbon accounting treats liming practices in large agricultural watersheds.
Source: nature.com — Suhrhoff, 2026-09-23
Published there as: “Agricultural liming is a carbon sink in the Mississippi River Basin”
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