Abstract
<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> The Amazon River plume plays a critical role in shaping the carbonate chemistry over a vast area in the western tropical North Atlantic. We explore a thought experiment of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) via hypothetical quicklime addition in the Amazon River watershed, examining the response of carbonate chemistry and air-sea carbon dioxide flux to the alkalinity addition. Through a series of sensitivity tests, we show that the detectability of the OAE-induced alkalinity increment depends on the perturbation strength (or size of the alkalinity addition, ΔTA) and the number of samples: there is a 90 % chance to meet a minimum detectability requirement with ΔTA > 15 <em>μ</em>mol kg<sup>-1</sup> and sample size > 40, given background variability of 15–30 <em>μ</em>mol kg<sup>-1</sup>. OAE-induced <em>p</em>CO<sub>2</sub> reduction at the Amazon plume surface would range between 0–25 <em>μ</em>atm when ΔTA = 20 <em>μ</em>mol kg<sup>-1</sup>, decreasing with increasing salinity. Adding 20 <em>μ</em>mol kg<sup>-1</sup> of alkalinity at the river mouth could elevate the total carbon uptake in the Amazon River plume by 0.07–0.1 MtCO<sub>2</sub> month<sup>-1</sup>. Such thought experiments are useful in designing minimalistic field trials and setting achievable goals for monitoring, reporting, and verification purposes.
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