Scientific goals

We aim to develop a framework for model parameterization, inputs, outputs or model validation against empirical data.

Graphs showing reactive surface area dynamics
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We aim to

  • quantify behaviour of participating models in response to key drivers of weathering and carbon capture 
  • elucidate major sources of model uncertainties 
  • develop best practices for benchmarking and validation
  • facilitate transparency via open-source, well-documented code when papers published

Participants will be provided with the following input data:

  • Precipitation 
  • Air and soil temperature
  • Atmospheric pCO2
  • Feedstock data
    • Treatment timings and quantities
    • Treatment mineralogies with standard kinetic and thermodynamic data
    • Secondary phases to be included/reported
  • Soil data
    • Texture data, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, 
    • Soil thickness to be modelled

Participating models will deliver the following time-series outputs:

  • Carbon dioxide removal (CDR), i.e. bicarbonate in effluent (analogous to CO2 consumption measured using river chemistry data)
  • CDR potential, i.e. release of major cations from applied minerals during weathering 
  • Individual mineral mass losses (percent)
  • Selected secondary phases (e.g. calcite)
  • Soil and effluent solution chemistry: pH and major ion concentrations

Each part of the project will answer the following research questions:

  • How similar are the results from the participating models?
  • Can we explain any major differences between models?

Where observational data are available, we will also quantify:

  • Root-mean-square error for each model and each available type of observation
  • Multivariate root-mean-square error (R has a package that calculates this as the mean of all the individual RMSEs scaled by their standard deviations)