Freshwater Methane Emissions Offset the Continental Carbon Sink

Bastviken, David; Tranvik, Lars J.; Downing, John A.; Crill, Patrick; Enrich‐Prast, Alex

doi:10.1126/science.1196808

Cited by 1,301 publications

(1,344 citation statements)

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“…In winter, in particular, CH 4 concentrations in oxic waters were up to 30 mmol L À1 , which can be linked to the mixing of the water column. The annual average of CH 4 concentrations in surface waters was 8.1 mmol L À1 which is one order of magnitude higher than the global average of lakes of the same size class (0.01e0.1 km 2 ) of 0.7 mmol L À1 reported by Holgerson and Raymond (2016) (Bastviken et al, 2011) that is lower than CH 4 emissions estimated in the Dendre stone pit lake in winter (12,482 mmol m À2 d À1 ). So high CH 4 fluxes in winter in the Dendre stone pit lake can be explained by an accumulation of CH 4 in anoxic waters during the stratification periods, which are mixed with the oxic waters during lake overturn, as described above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…In natural environments, CH 4 is anaerobically produced by methanogenic archaea. The total CH 4 emission to the atmosphere has been estimated to 540 Tg CH 4 yr À1 , with a significant contribution from inland waters (Bastviken et al, 2011;Borges et al, 2015;Holgerson and Raymond, 2016). The actual amount of CH 4 produced is higher, as a significant fraction of CH 4 produced is biologically oxidized before reaching the atmosphere (Bastviken et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emission and oxidation of methane in a meromictic, eutrophic and temperate lake (Dendre, Belgium)

et al. 2017

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h i g h l i g h t sThe studied lake was meromictic and characterized by high methane, nutrients and sulfate concentrations in the water column. High aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation rates were observed in the water column, and were dependent on the season. Anaerobic methane oxidation was linked to sulfate reduction, and potentially to nitrate reduction. Despite high methane oxidation rates, methane fluxes to the atmosphere were high. a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c tWe sampled the water column of the Dendre stone pit lake (Belgium) in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Depth profiles of several physico-chemical variables, nutrients, dissolved gases (CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O), sulfate, sulfide, iron and manganese concentrations and d 13 C-CH4 were determined. We performed incubation experiments to quantify CH 4 oxidation rates, with a focus on anaerobic CH 4 oxidation (AOM), without and with an inhibitor of sulfate reduction (molybdate). The evolution of nitrate and sulfate concentrations during the incubations was monitored. The water column was anoxic below 20 m throughout the year, and was thermally stratified in summer and autumn. High partial pressure of CO 2 and CH 4 and high concentrations of ammonium and phosphate were observed in anoxic waters. Important nitrous oxide and nitrate concentration maxima were also observed (up to 440 nmol L À1 and 80 mmol L À1 , respectively). Vertical profiles of d 13 C-CH 4 unambiguously showed the occurrence of AOM. Important AOM rates (up to 14 mmol L À1 d À1 ) were observed and often co-occurred with nitrate consumption peaks, suggesting the occurrence of AOM coupled with nitrate reduction. AOM coupled with sulfate reduction also occurred, since AOM rates tended to be lower when molybdate was added. CH 4 oxidation was mostly aerobic (~80% of total oxidation) in spring and winter, and almost exclusively anaerobic in summer and autumn. Despite important CH 4 oxidation rates, the estimated CH 4 fluxes from the water surface to the atmosphere were high (mean of 732 mmol m À2 d À1 in spring, summer and autumn, and up to 12,482 mmol m À2 d À1 in winter).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emission and oxidation of methane in a meromictic, eutrophic and temperate lake (Dendre, Belgium)

et al. 2017

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“…Inland waters are important players in the global budgets of longlived green-house gases (GHGs), acting as vigorous sources to the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) (Raymond et al, 2013;Lauerwald et al, 2015;Borges et al, 2015a), methane (CH 4 ) (Bastviken et al, 2011;Borges et al, 2015a;Stanley et al, 2016), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) (Seitzinger and Kroeze, 1998;Hu et al, 2016). The largest fraction of global CO 2 and CH 4 emissions from riverine networks occurs at tropical and sub-tropical latitudes (Bloom et al, 2010;Raymond et al, 2013;Lauerwald et al, 2015;Borges et al, 2015b) that are in general more pristine than their temperate counter-parts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of agricultural land use on fluvial carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide concentrations in a large European river, the Meuse (Belgium)

Borges

Darchambeau

Lambert

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

163

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• Large data-set of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O in the surface waters of the Meuse River We report a data-set of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O concentrations in the surface waters of the Meuse river network in Belgium, obtained during four surveys covering 50 stations (summer 2013 and late winter 2013, 2014 and 2015), from yearly cycles in four rivers of variable size and catchment land cover, and from 111 groundwater samples. Surface waters of the Meuse river network were over-saturated in CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O with respect to atmospheric equilibrium, acting as sources of these greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, although the dissolved gases also showed marked seasonal and spatial variations. Seasonal variations were related to changes in freshwater discharge following the hydrological cycle, with highest concentrations of CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O during low water owing to a longer water residence time and lower currents (i.e. lower gas transfer velocities), both contributing to the accumulation of gases in the water column, combined with higher temperatures favourable to microbial processes. Inter-annual differences of discharge also led to differences in CH 4 and N 2 O that were higher in years with prolonged low water periods. Spatial variations were mostly due to differences in land cover over the catchments, with systems dominated by agriculture (croplands and pastures) having higher CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O levels than forested systems. This seemed to be related to higher levels of dissolved and particulate organic matter, as well as dissolved inorganic nitrogen in agriculture dominated systems compared to forested ones. Groundwater had very low CH 4 concentrations in the shallow and unconfined aquifers (mostly fractured limestones) of the Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n vMeuse basin, hence, should not contribute significantly to the high CH 4 levels in surface riverine waters. Owing to high dissolved concentrations, groundwater could potentially transfer important quantities of CO 2 and N 2 O to surface waters of the Meuse basin, although this hypothesis remains to be tested.

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“…Globally, the magnitude of methane (CH 4 ) emissions from freshwater lakes (72 Tg CH 4 yr −1 ; Bastviken et al, 2011) constitutes an estimated 30 % of all natural emissions (217 Tg CH 4 yr −1 ; IPCC, 2013). Methane is typically produced in anoxic bottom sediments by methanogenic microbes and can be released to the atmosphere by diffusion, vascular transport through aquatic plants, or ebullition (bubbling) (Rudd and Hamilton, 1978;Bastviken et al, 2004;Whalen, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the impediment of methane ebullition bubbles by seasonal lake ice

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Microbial methane (CH 4 ) ebullition (bubbling) from anoxic lake sediments comprises a globally significant flux to the atmosphere, but ebullition bubbles in temperate and polar lakes can be trapped by winter ice cover and later released during spring thaw. This "ice-bubble storage" (IBS) constitutes a novel mode of CH 4 emission. Before bubbles are encapsulated by downward-growing ice, some of their CH 4 dissolves into the lake water, where it may be subject to oxidation. We present field characterization and a model of the annual CH 4 cycle in Goldstream Lake, a thermokarst (thaw) lake in interior Alaska. We find that summertime ebullition dominates annual CH 4 emissions to the atmosphere. Eighty percent of CH 4 in bubbles trapped by ice dissolves into the lake water column in winter, and about half of that is oxidized. The ice growth rate and the magnitude of the CH 4 ebullition flux are important controlling factors of bubble dissolution. Seven percent of annual ebullition CH 4 is trapped as IBS and later emitted as ice melts. In a future warmer climate, there will likely be less seasonal ice cover, less IBS, less CH 4 dissolution from trapped bubbles, and greater CH 4 emissions from northern lakes.

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Freshwater Methane Emissions Offset the Continental Carbon Sink

Cited by 1,301 publications

References 10 publications

Emission and oxidation of methane in a meromictic, eutrophic and temperate lake (Dendre, Belgium)

Emission and oxidation of methane in a meromictic, eutrophic and temperate lake (Dendre, Belgium)

Effects of agricultural land use on fluvial carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide concentrations in a large European river, the Meuse (Belgium)

Modeling the impediment of methane ebullition bubbles by seasonal lake ice

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