An official website of the United States government
Boreal lakes are the most abundant lakes on Earth. Changes in acid rain deposition, climate, and catchment land use have increased lateral fluxes of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM), resulting in a widespread browning of boreal freshwaters. This browning affects the aqueous communities and ecosystem processes, and boost emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) CH 4 , CO 2 , and N 2 O. In this study, we predicted biotic saturation of GHGs in boreal lakes by using a set of chemical, hydrological, climate, and land use parameters. For this purpose, concentrations of GHGs and nutrients (organic C, -P, and -N) were determined in surface water samples from 73 lakes in south-eastern Norway covering wide ranges in DOM and nutrient concentrations, as well as catchment properties and land use. The spatial variation in saturation of each GHG is related to explanatory variables. Catchment characteristics (hydrological and climate parameters) such as lake size and summer precipitation, as well as NDVI, were key determinants when fitting GAM models for CH 4 and CO 2 saturation (explaining 71 and 54%, respectively), while summer precipitation and land use data were the best predictors for the N 2 O saturation, explaining almost 50% of deviance. Our results suggest that lake size, precipitation, and terrestrial primary production in the watershed control the saturation of GHG in boreal lakes. These predictions based on the 73-lake dataset was validated against an independent dataset from 46 lakes in the same region. Together, this provides an improved understanding of drivers and spatial variation in GHG saturation in boreal lakes across wide gradients of lake and catchment properties. The assessment highlights the need to incorporate multiple explanatory parameters in prediction models of GHGs for extrapolation across the boreal biome.
more »
« less
Coupled CH 4 production and oxidation support CO 2 supersaturation in a tropical flood pulse lake (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia)
Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) supersaturation in lakes and rivers worldwide is commonly attributed to terrestrial–aquatic transfers of organic and inorganic carbon (C) and subsequent, in situ aerobic respiration. Methane (CH 4 ) production and oxidation also contribute CO 2 to freshwaters, yet this remains largely unquantified. Flood pulse lakes and rivers in the tropics are hypothesized to receive large inputs of dissolved CO 2 and CH 4 from floodplains characterized by hypoxia and reducing conditions. We measured stable C isotopes of CO 2 and CH 4 , aerobic respiration, and CH 4 production and oxidation during two flood stages in Tonle Sap Lake (Cambodia) to determine whether dissolved CO 2 in this tropical flood pulse ecosystem has a methanogenic origin. Mean CO 2 supersaturation of 11,000 ± 9,000 μ atm could not be explained by aerobic respiration alone. 13 C depletion of dissolved CO 2 relative to other sources of organic and inorganic C, together with corresponding 13 C enrichment of CH 4 , suggested extensive CH 4 oxidation. A stable isotope-mixing model shows that the oxidation of 13 C depleted CH 4 to CO 2 contributes between 47 and 67% of dissolved CO 2 in Tonle Sap Lake. 13 C depletion of dissolved CO 2 was correlated to independently measured rates of CH 4 production and oxidation within the water column and underlying lake sediments. However, mass balance indicates that most of this CH 4 production and oxidation occurs elsewhere, within inundated soils and other floodplain habitats. Seasonal inundation of floodplains is a common feature of tropical freshwaters, where high reported CO 2 supersaturation and atmospheric emissions may be explained in part by coupled CH 4 production and oxidation.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1740042
- PAR ID:
- 10344507
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Volume:
- 119
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 0027-8424
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract In limnological studies of temperate lakes, most studies of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions have focused on summer measurements of gas fluxes despite the importance of shoulder seasons to annual emissions. This is especially pertinent to dimictic, small lakes that maintain anoxic conditions and turnover quickly in the spring and fall. We examined CO2and CH4dynamics from January to October 2020 in a small humic lake in northern Wisconsin, United States through a combination of discrete sampling and high frequency buoy and eddy covariance data collection. Eddy covariance flux towers were installed on buoys at the center of the lake while it was still frozen to continually measure CO2and CH4across seasons. Despite evidence for only partial turnover during the spring, there was still a notable 19‐day pulse of CH4emissions after lake ice melted with an average daytime flux rate of 8–30 nmol CH4m−2s−1. Our estimate of CH4emissions during the spring pulse was 16 mmol CH4m−2compared to 22 mmol CH4m−2during the stratified period from June to August. We did not observe a linear accumulation of gases under‐ice in our sampling period during the late winter, suggesting the complexity of this dynamic period and the emphasis for direct measurements throughout the ice‐covered period. The results of our study help to better understand the magnitude and timing of greenhouse gas emissions in a region expected to experience warmer winters with decreased ice duration.more » « less
-
Abstract Methane (CH4) release to the atmosphere from thawing permafrost contributes significantly to global CH4emissions. However, constraining the effects of thaw that control the production and emission of CH4is needed to anticipate future Arctic emissions. Here are presented robust rate measurements of CH4production and cycling in a region of rapidly degrading permafrost. Big Trail Lake, located in central Alaska, is a young, actively expanding thermokarst lake. The lake was investigated by taking two 1 m cores of sediment from different regions. Two independent methods of measuring microbial CH4 production, long term (CH4accumulation) and short term (14C tracer), produced similar average rates of 11 ± 3.5 and 9 ± 3.6 nmol cm−3 d−1, respectively. The rates had small variations between the different lithological units, indicating homogeneous CH4production despite heterogeneous lithology in the surface ~1 m of sediment. To estimate the total CH4production, the CH4production rates were multiplied through the 10–15 m deep talik (thaw bulb). This estimate suggests that CH4 production is higher than emission by a maximum factor of ~2, which is less than previous estimates. Stable and radioactive carbon isotope measurements showed that 50% of dissolved CH4in the first meter was produced further below. Interestingly, labeled14C incubations with 2‐14C acetate and14C CO2indicate that variations in the pathway used by microbes to produce CH4depends on the age and type of organic matter in the sediment, but did not appear to influence the rates at which CH4 was produced. This study demonstrates that at least half of the CH4produced by microbial breakdown of organic matter in actively expanding thermokarst is emitted to the atmosphere, and that the majority of this CH4is produced in the deep sediment.more » « less
-
Accelerated warming in the Arctic has led to concern regarding the amount of carbon emission potential from Arctic water bodies. Yet, aquatic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) flux measurements remain scarce, particularly at high resolution and over long periods of time. Effluxes of methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from Toolik Lake, a deep glacial lake in northern Alaska, were measured for the first time with the direct eddy covariance (EC) flux technique during six ice-free lake periods (2010–2015). CO 2 flux estimates from the lake (daily average efflux of 16.7 ± 5.3 mmol m −2 d −1 ) were in good agreement with earlier estimates from 1975–1989 using different methods. CH 4 effluxes in 2010–2015 (averaging 0.13 ± 0.06 mmol m −2 d −1 ) showed an interannual variation that was 4.1 times greater than median diel variations, but mean fluxes were almost one order of magnitude lower than earlier estimates obtained from single water samples in 1990 and 2011–2012. The overall global warming potential (GWP) of Toolik Lake is thus governed mostly by CO 2 effluxes, contributing 86–93% of the ice-free period GWP of 26–90 g CO 2,eq m −2 . Diel variation in fluxes was also important, with up to a 2-fold (CH 4 ) to 4-fold (CO 2 ) difference between the highest nighttime and lowest daytime effluxes. Within the summer ice-free period, on average, CH 4 fluxes increased 2-fold during the first half of the summer, then remained almost constant, whereas CO 2 effluxes remained almost constant over the entire summer, ending with a linear increase during the last 1–2 weeks of measurements. Due to the cold bottom temperatures of this 26 m deep lake, and the absence of ebullition and episodic flux events, Toolik Lake and other deep glacial lakes are likely not hot spots for greenhouse gas emissions, but they still contribute to the overall GWP of the Arctic.more » « less
-
Abstract Sea level rise and more frequent and larger storms will increase saltwater flooding in coastal terrestrial ecosystems, altering soil‐atmosphere CO2and CH4exchange. Understanding these impacts is particularly relevant in high‐latitude coastal soils that hold large carbon stocks but where the interaction of salinity and moisture on greenhouse gas flux remains unexplored. Here, we quantified the effects of salinity and moisture on CO2and CH4fluxes from low‐Arctic coastal soils from three landscape positions (two Wetlands and Upland Tundra) distinguished by elevation, flooding frequency, soil characteristics, and vegetation. We used a full factorial laboratory incubation experiment of three soil moisture levels (40%, 70%, or 100% saturation) and four salinity levels (freshwater, 3, 6, or 12 ppt). Salinity and soil moisture were important controls on CO2and CH4emissions across all landscape positions. In saturated soil, CO2emissions increased with salinity in the lower elevation landscape positions but not in the Upland Tundra soil. Saturated soil was necessary for large CH4emissions. CH4emissions were greatest with low salinity, or after 11 weeks of incubation when SO42−was exhausted allowing for methanogenesis as the dominant mechanism of anaerobic respiration. In partially saturated soil, greater salinity suppressed CO2production in all soils. CH4fluxes were overall quite low, but increased between 3 and 6 ppt in the Tundra. In the future, a small increase in floodwater salinity may increase CO2production while suppressing CH4production; however, where water is impounded, CH4production could become large, particularly in the landscapes most likely to flood.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2107667119
