Mendez Mendez, Kimberly

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Quantifying the importance of atmospheric event-driven physical erosion on the short-term chemical weathering in the tropics
(2023) Mendez Mendez, Kimberly; Hughes, Kenneth S.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Hudgins, Thomas R.; Rodríguez Iglesias, Lizzette A.; Department of Geology; Villanueva Vega, Marién
Silicate weathering is an important carbon sink in geological timescales, yet the processes that control weathering rates remain poorly constrained. Two main hypotheses have been proposed for this field of research; that is, that silicate weathering rates are limited by the mineral supply rate or by the reaction kinetics, although there are a few hypotheses that imply a combination of both. This study focused on testing the hypothesis that weathering rates are supply limited by exploring the relationship between Hurricane María’s physical erosion and the total dissolved solids (TDS) in 45 monolithic catchments in Puerto Rico. Results showed no correlation between the two metrics; however, results do indicate that Hurricane María’s landsliding event may not be an ideal data set to explore this relationship given that there was little to no exposure of fresh rock material. Furthermore, it is possible that TDS may not be an ideal proxy for weathering in humid tropical settings.