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Abstract Chemical weathering, a natural atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sink process, is a component of the global climate system. This study examines the temporal and spatial variations in rates of chemical weathering (CWR), CO 2 consumption (CCR) and corresponding CO 2 flux ( F CO2 ) from a large tropical river system, the Krishna River Basin (KRB) of western India. Results indicated that all these rates are higher during the monsoon, with the upstream regions exhibiting higher CWR due to enhanced hydrological and geochemical fluxes, particularly in agricultural‐dominated zones. The average CCR (6.2 × 10 5 mol km −2 yr −1 ) is higher than earlier findings form similar tropical systems. With a final estimated annual CCR and F CO2 of 7.1 ± 2.5 and 3.9 ± 0.6 Tg CO 2 , respectively, it is evident that chemical weathering is greater than the CO 2 efflux. Upstream silicate‐rich basaltic bedrock, combined with a tropical climate (high runoff and temperature) in KRB dominated by agricultural practices, promotes chemical weathering, resulting in a net sink for atmospheric CO 2 . This study highlights the significance of simultaneous estimation of CCR induced by chemical weathering and F CO2 dynamics in understanding the role of large tropical river basins in estimation of regional CO 2 emissions.
Reddy et al. (Mon,) studied this question.