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Title: Diel variation in CO2 flux is substantial in many lakes
Abstract Lakes play a significant role in the global carbon cycle, acting as sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO2). In situ measurements of CO2flux (FCO2) from lakes have generally been collected during daylight, despite indications of significant diel variability. This introduces bias when scaling up to whole‐lake annual aquatic carbon budgets. We conducted an international sampling program to ascertain the extent of diel variation in FCO2across lakes. We sampled 21 lakes over 41 campaigns and measured FCO2at 4‐h intervals over a full diel cycle. Rates of FCO2ranged from −3.16 to 4.39 mmol m−2 h−1. Integrated over a day, FCO2ranged from −381.68 to 878.49 mg C m−2d−1(mean = 76.54) across campaigns. We identified three characteristic diel patterns in FCO2related to trophic status and show that for half of the campaigns, daily flux estimates were biased by > 50% if based on a single (daytime) measurement.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2327030 2025982
PAR ID:
10650803
Author(s) / Creator(s):
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Publisher / Repository:
Wiley
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Limnology and Oceanography Letters
Volume:
10
Issue:
6
ISSN:
2378-2242
Page Range / eLocation ID:
977 to 989
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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