Session: Symposium--Mineral Weathering across Spatial Scales

Title: Symposium--Mineral Weathering across Spatial Scales

Session Description: Mineral weathering is one primary control on ecosystem functioning. As minerals break down, products replace ions lost from the soil, sustaining soil pH buffering, and providing microorganism and plant nutrients. Depending on spatial scale, factors that exert control on mineral weathering rates and reactions may vary. Breakdown of minerals can be controlled by biochemical and biomechanical weathering from fungi and microbes on the mineral grain face, whereas the percent of primary soil minerals across latitudes vary with mean annual climate and tectonic uplift rate. This session will broaden understanding of mineral weathering by connecting spatial scales of analysis.