Kreuzburg et al. (2025): Hawaiian beaches as natural analogues for enhanced silicate weathering of olivine

Matthias Kreuzburg, Astrid Hylén, Devon B. Cole, Stephen J. Romaniello, Chandra W. Winardhi, Veerle Cnudde, Daniel A. Frick, Josephine Barnett, Kirsten E. P. Nicolaysen and Filip J. R. Meysman, IN: Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae130c

Silicate weathering induces atmospheric CO₂ sequestration through alkalinity release, which is Earth’s prime mechanism for regulating the climate. Marine enhanced rock weathering (mERW) seeks to accelerate this process by distributing fast-weathering silicate minerals like olivine in coastal environments, thus targeting deliberate carbon dioxide removal. However, the efficiency and environmental impact of mERW remain uncertain, as experimental studies are not capable of tracking the CO₂ sequestration rate and ecological effects over sufficiently long timescales. Natural coastal environments with olivine-rich sands enable insight into long-term weathering and may serve as analogues envisioned for mERW applications. Papakōlea Beach (Hawai‘i) is one of the few beaches across the world with olivine-rich sands (>80% by weight), thus providing a unique mERW analogue. The authors examined in situ weathering and biogeochemical cycling at Papakōlea as well as in the nearby mixed volcanic/coral sands of Richardson Ocean Park.

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