GHG emissions from hydroelectric reservoirs in tropical and equatorial regions: Review of 20 years of CH4 emission measurements

Demarty, M.; Bastien, Julie

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2011.04.033

Cited by 114 publications

(134 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…El segundo gas invernadero en orden de importancia es el metano, con un potencial de calentamiento 25 veces mayor que el del CO 2 y cuya concentración en la atmósfera (1.819 ppbv) ha triplicado los niveles de la era preindustrial (IPCC, 2011). Ambos gases se generan en ecosistemas acuáticos, y en el caso del metano se estima que un 25 % de sus emisiones son antropogénicas y un 69 % son de origen microbiano (Borrel, et al, 2011, Demarty & Bastien, 2011; de ellas 6 a 16 % son emisiones provenientes de lagos, ríos y reservorios, estos últimos con emisiones estimadas de aproximadamente 3 Tg C-CH 4 (Barros, et al, 2011), producto de la metanogénesis en sedimentos y en la columna de agua anóxica (Borrel, et al, 2011, Sturm, et al, 2013. Por su parte, el N 2 O se deriva de procesos antropogénicos (procesos industriales y agrícolas) y biogénicos en ambientes terrestres, marinos y de aguas dulces (United States Environmental Protection Agency-EPA, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Gases invernadero en aguas con bajo oxígeno en el reservorio eutrófico de Prado (Colombia)

González

Torres-Valdés

2015

Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.

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Gases invernadero en el embalse de Prado, Tolima 399 Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat. 39(152):399-407, julio-septiembre de 2015 Gases invernadero en aguas con bajo oxígeno en el reservorio eutrófico de Prado (Colombia) Maribeb Castro-González*, Victoria Torres-Valdés Laboratorio de Ecología Microbiana, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia ResumenEn esta investigación se cuantificó la concentración de gases invernadero (metano y óxido nitroso) y de otros parámetros fisicoquímicos en la columna de agua del reservorio eutrófico de Prado para determinar con experimentos in situ el origen del óxido nitroso y la distribución vertical de ambos gases. Los resultados indicaron que la nitrificación contribuyó más activamente que la desnitrificación a la producción de óxido nitroso en la columna de agua, con tasas estimadas en 122,5 ± 79,9 nM/d, y que comparado con otras hidroeléctricas y lagos en el mundo, las concentraciones de óxido nitroso (de hasta 38,6 ± 0,9 nM) y de metano (de hasta 242 ± 85,5 µM) cuantificadas en el embalse fueron altas. Este es el primer estudio desarrollado en la represa de Prado que muestra la sobresaturación de ambos gases en la columna de agua, lo que sugiere que esta hidroeléctrica podría estar emitiendo cantidades significativas de gases invernadero a la atmósfera.Palabras clave: hidroeléctrica, embalse tropical, óxido nitroso, metano, nitrificación, desnitrificación. Greenhouse gases in low-oxygen waters in the eutrophic reservoir of Prado (Colombia) AbstractIn this study we quantified greenhouse gases concentration (nitrous oxide and methane) and other physicochemical parameters in the water column of Prado eutrophic reservoir to determine with in situ experiments the nitrous oxide source and the vertical distribution of both gases. The results indicated that nitrification contributed more actively than denitrification to nitrous oxide production in the water column to estimated rates of 122.5 ± 79.9 nM/d, and that, in comparison with other dams and lakes in the world, the nitrous oxide (up to 38.6 ± 0.9 nM) and methane concentrations (up to 242 ± 85.5 µM) measured in the reservoir were high. This is the first study in the Prado dam showing the oversaturation of both gases in the water column, which suggests that this reservoir could be emitting significant quantities of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

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Section: Introductionunclassified

Gases invernadero en aguas con bajo oxígeno en el reservorio eutrófico de Prado (Colombia)

González

Torres-Valdés

2015

Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.

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“…Hydropower has been regarded as green energy for a long time , but this viewpoint was tarnished in the last two decades (Demarty and Bastien, 2011), because a large amount of CO 2 would be generated when rivers were dammed to create the reservoirs for hydroelectricity (St Louis et al, 2000;Fearnside, 2011). It was estimated that 48 Tg C-CO 2 was emitted from hydroelectric reservoirs every year, which accounted for 9% of the total natural lake emissions (Barros et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and seasonal variability of CO2 flux at the air-water interface of the Three Gorges Reservoir

Yang¹,

Lu²,

Wang³

et al. 2013

Journal of Environmental Sciences

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Diffusive carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from the water surface of the Three Gorges Reservoir, currently the largest hydroelectric reservoir in the world, were measured using floating static chambers over the course of a yearlong survey. The results showed that the average annual CO 2 flux was (163.3 ± 117.4) mg CO 2 /(m 2 ·hr) at the reservoir surface, which was larger than the CO 2 flux in most boreal and temperate reservoirs but lower than that in tropical reservoirs. Significant spatial variations in CO 2 flux were observed at four measured sites, with the largest flux measured at Wushan (221.9 mg CO 2 /(m 2 ·hr)) and the smallest flux measured at Zigui (88.6 mg CO 2 /(m 2 ·hr)); these differences were probably related to the average water velocities at different sites. Seasonal variations in CO 2 flux were also observed at four sites, starting to increase in January, continuously rising until peaking in the summer (JuneAugust) and gradually decreasing thereafter. Seasonal variations in CO 2 flux could reflect seasonal dynamics in pH, water velocity, and temperature. Since the spatial and temporal variations in CO 2 flux were significant and dependent on multiple physical, chemical, and hydrological factors, it is suggested that long-term measurements should be made on a large spatial scale to assess the climatic influence of hydropower in China, as well as the rest of the world.

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“…Under anoxic conditions, methanogenic bacteria metabolize organic compounds, hydrogen and CO 2 into CH 4 (methanogenesis), leading to high CH 4 concentrations in the bottom layer of reservoirs (Abril et al, 2005). Due to the persistent stratification of reservoirs located in warmer regions, methanogenesis is usually an important pathway of GHG production in those systems (Demarty & Bastien, 2011). However, most of the CH 4 produced in the water column of reservoirs tend to be emitted to the atmosphere as CO 2 due to the oxidation by metanotrophic bacteria at the top oxygenated water layer .…”

Section: Water Column and Sedimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, CO 2 emissions from Swedish reservoirs were lower than those reported for other boreal regions, which was attributed to the fact that in Sweden often comparatively small areas with thin layers of organic soil are flooded for reservoir construction . In 2011 a review of the achievements in 20 years of measurements of CH 4 emission from tropical and equatorial reservoirs came out (Demarty & Bastien, 2011). The document claims that GHG emissions might have been underestimated in the tropics due to the neglect of CH 4 emissions.…”

Section: Global Emission Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, there is still a great need for research in the tropics, since this is where most of the potential for new dams remains (Figure 2). Future research on tropical reservoirs should seek for better estimations of CH 4 emissions, which seems to have been seriously underestimated in the last two decades (Demarty & Bastien, 2011;Wehrli, 2011) in spite of its greater warming potential (more than 20 times more) when compared to CO 2 .…”

Section: Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Hydroelectric Reservoirs: What Knowledge Do We Have and What is Lacking?

Mendonça¹,

Barros²,

Vidal³

et al. 2012

Greenhouse Gases - Emission, Measurement and Management

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GHG emissions from hydroelectric reservoirs in tropical and equatorial regions: Review of 20 years of CH4 emission measurements

Cited by 114 publications

References 28 publications

Gases invernadero en aguas con bajo oxígeno en el reservorio eutrófico de Prado (Colombia)

Gases invernadero en aguas con bajo oxígeno en el reservorio eutrófico de Prado (Colombia)

Spatial and seasonal variability of CO2 flux at the air-water interface of the Three Gorges Reservoir

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Hydroelectric Reservoirs: What Knowledge Do We Have and What is Lacking?

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