Microbe-Mediated Effects of Enhanced Rock Weathering on Soil Organic Carbon Storage

Executive Summary

We will study how enhanced rock weathering—adding crushed silicate rocks to soil to drawdown atmospheric carbon dioxide—may impact soil organic carbon stocks via actions of soil microorganisms. By mechanistically understanding this microbial response, we aim to estimate the potential for enhanced rock weathering as a climate mitigation strategy, and harness soil microbes to enhance the efficiency of carbon sequestration.

Publications, Presentations, and Patents

Sokol, Noah, Emily Whalen, Andrea Jilling, Cynthia Kallenbach, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, and Katerina Georgiou. 2022. "Global Distribution, Formation, and Fate of Mineral-associated Organic Matter under a Changing Climate: a Trait-based Perspective." Functional Ecology 36 (6): 1411-1429. doi:10.1111/1365-2435.14040