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Drought-induced secondary carbonate formation restricts lateral carbon transport

Over a prolonged period of hydrologic drought, the major ion chemistry of a North American river dramatically shifted, revealing reduced lateral carbon transport due to secondary carbonate formation. These observations expose a natural limit to the inorganic carbon carrying capacity of rivers.

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Fig. 1: Shifts in the chemical composition of the Upper Sangamon River during drought.

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This is a summary of: Wang, J. et al. Drought constrictions on lateral carbon transport. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01807-z (2025).

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Drought-induced secondary carbonate formation restricts lateral carbon transport. Nat. Geosci. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01818-w

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