# GlASS - Global Aggregation of Stream Silica

## TL;DR

The GlASS database compiles river silica data to study its role in ecosystems and how it's affected by climate and land use changes.

## Contribution

GlASS is the first global database aggregating river silica and related nutrient data with standardized quality assurance.

## Key findings

- GlASS includes 421 rivers across eight climate zones with data from 1963 to 2024.
- The database links silica concentrations to nitrogen and phosphorus levels and watershed characteristics.
- It provides standardized input files for modeling river silica fluxes and biogeochemical processes.

## Abstract

Riverine silicon (Si) plays a vital role in governing primary production, water quality, and carbon cycling. Climate and land cover change have altered how dissolved Si (DSi) is processed on land, transported to rivers, and cycled through aquatic ecosystems. The Global Aggregation of Stream Silica (GlASS) database was constructed to assess changes in river Si concentrations and fluxes, their relationship to other nutrients (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)), and to evaluate mechanisms driving the availability of Si. GlASS includes concentrations of DSi, dissolved inorganic N (NO3, NOx, and NH4), and dissolved inorganic P (as soluble reactive P or PO4-P) at daily to quarterly time steps from 1963 to 2024; daily discharge; and watershed characteristics for 421 rivers spanning eight climate zones. Original data sources are cited, data quality assurance workflows are public, and input files to a common load model are provided. GlASS offers critical data to address questions about patterns, controls, and trajectories of global river Si biogeochemistry and stoichiometry.