Significant methane ebullition from alpine permafrost rivers on the East Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Zhang, Liwei; Xia, Xinghui; Liu, Shaoda; Zhang, Sibo; Li, Siling; Wang, Junfeng; Wang, Gongqin; Gao, Hui; Zhang, Zhenrui; Wang, Qingrui; Wen, Wu; Liu, Ran; Zhang, Yang; Stanley, Emily H.; Raymond, Peter A.

doi:10.1038/s41561-020-0571-8

Cited by 109 publications

(98 citation statements)

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“…4 a and 4b ) 12 , 20 . Second, the climate change-driven hydrological alterations have caused higher flushing and transport of soil organic carbon and wetland/riparian CO 2 that would otherwise be permanently stored in upland catchments or degassed into the atmosphere directly from terrestrial landscapes 45 . Consequently, the Tibetan Plateau was the only region where F CO2 increased in headwater streams (Supplementary Table 6.1 ), although the regional mean F CO2 has consistently declined in all six regions (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substantial decrease in CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters due to global change

et al. 2021

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Carbon dioxide (CO2) evasion from inland waters is an important component of the global carbon cycle. However, it remains unknown how global change affects CO2 emissions over longer time scales. Here, we present seasonal and annual fluxes of CO2 emissions from streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs throughout China and quantify their changes over the past three decades. We found that the CO2 emissions declined from 138 ± 31 Tg C yr−1 in the 1980s to 98 ± 19 Tg C yr−1 in the 2010s. Our results suggest that this unexpected decrease was driven by a combination of environmental alterations, including massive conversion of free-flowing rivers to reservoirs and widespread implementation of reforestation programs. Meanwhile, we found increasing CO2 emissions from the Tibetan Plateau inland waters, likely attributable to increased terrestrial deliveries of organic carbon and expanded surface area due to climate change. We suggest that the CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters have greatly offset the terrestrial carbon sink and are therefore a key component of China’s carbon budget.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substantial decrease in CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters due to global change

et al. 2021

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“…Although there are only two samples measured at this site, the negative δ 18 O-δ 15 N relationship is also similar to our finding at the Southern TP (Table 1). Biogeochemical production and emission of greenhouse gases from the TP is apparently underestimated and of high uncertainty (Zhang et al, 2020). In contrast to previous suggestion that denitrification processes play an important role in TP river systems (Qu et al, 2017), our observations indicate a negligible role of denitrification in the study region, at least during our sampling period.…”

Section: /2019jd031878mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Complete Isotope (δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O, Δ¹⁷O) Investigation of Atmospherically Deposited Nitrate in Glacial‐Hydrologic Systems Across the Third Pole Region

et al. 2020

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The Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, identified as the Third Pole (TP), is a unique region because of its insertion into global environmental and climatic changes. Deposition of atmospheric nitrate in this region is one of the most important sources of reactive nitrogen to glacial-hydrologic system and ecosystems. The isotopic composition of atmospherically deposited nitrate preserved in ice bodies plays a central role in delineating environmental and climatic changes, present, and past. Here, we provide an overview of the complete isotopic compositions (δ 15 N, δ 18 O, and Δ 17 O) of nitrate in aerosol, snow, ice, and water samples (n = 46) collected across the Southern, Southeastern, Central, and Northern TP to constrain complex nitrogen cycles of the atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and, potentially, the biosphere. A large variability of snow nitrate isotopic compositions is observed across the TP at different spatial scales (from a single glacier to the entire plateau), likely due to the complex landscape and relevant physical and chemical processes across the TP. Large nitrate Δ 17 O values are observed in water samples collected from the Mt. Everest region, highlighting the considerable fraction (up to 45%) of atmospheric nitrate to the nitrate load in this Himalayan hydrologic system. Our work reveals the complex chemical, depositional, and postdepositional processes over the TP that are greater than previously thought and identifies further comprehensive investigations, which entail using nitrate isotopic compositions as an identifier for nitrate source apportionment in various ecosystems and understanding past atmospheric and climatic conditions in this region. The Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau hosts the largest number of glaciers (>36,000) on the planet outside of polar regions with thousands of lakes and is referred to as the Third Pole (TP) (Yao et al., 2012). This massive water reservoir within this pristine region sustains the water supply and food security for billions of people in ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

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“…Much of the organic matter entering inland waters is highly biodegradable, and microbial decomposition results in considerable GHG emissions, especially CH 4 , a GHG that is much more potent than CO 2 . Direct measurements of methane emissions from four basins in the Tibetan Plateau permafrost zone -where the rates of permafrost loss are among the highest in the world -show that CH 4 emission rates from lakes in the region are six times higher than the global average for streams and rivers 5 . However, it remains unclear to what extent thawing permafrost contributes to these GHG emissions.…”

Section: When Permafrost Thawsmentioning

confidence: 96%

When permafrost thaws

2020

Nat. Geosci.

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Significant methane ebullition from alpine permafrost rivers on the East Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Cited by 109 publications

References 51 publications

Substantial decrease in CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters due to global change

Substantial decrease in CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters due to global change

A Complete Isotope (δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O, Δ¹⁷O) Investigation of Atmospherically Deposited Nitrate in Glacial‐Hydrologic Systems Across the Third Pole Region

When permafrost thaws

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Significant methane ebullition from alpine permafrost rivers on the East Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Cited by 109 publications

References 51 publications

Substantial decrease in CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters due to global change

Substantial decrease in CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters due to global change

A Complete Isotope (δ15N, δ18O, Δ17O) Investigation of Atmospherically Deposited Nitrate in Glacial‐Hydrologic Systems Across the Third Pole Region

When permafrost thaws

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A Complete Isotope (δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O, Δ¹⁷O) Investigation of Atmospherically Deposited Nitrate in Glacial‐Hydrologic Systems Across the Third Pole Region