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Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoir Water Surfaces: A New Global Synthesis - journal
Citation:
Deemer, B., J. Harrison, S. Li, J. Beaulieu, T. DelSontro, N. Barros, J. Neto, S. Powers, M. dos Santos, AND J. Vonk. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoir Water Surfaces: A New Global Synthesis - journal. BIOSCIENCE. American Institute of Biological Sciences, MCLEAN, VA, 66(11):949-964, (2016).
Impact/Purpose:
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
Description:
Collectively, reservoirs are an important anthropogenic source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. Attempts to model reservoir GHG fluxes, however, have been limited by inconsistencies in methodological approaches and data availability. An increase in the number of published reservoir GHG flux estimates during the last 15 years warrants a comprehensive analysis of the magnitude and potential controls on these fluxes. Here we synthesize worldwide reservoir CH4, CO2, and N2O emission data and estimate that GHG emissions from reservoirs account for 80.2 Tmol CO2 equivalents yr-1, thus constituting approximately 5% of anthropogenic radiative forcing. The majority (93%) of these emissions are from CH4, and mainly in the form of bubbles. While age and latitude have historically been linked to reservoir GHG emissions, we found that factors related to reservoir nutrient status and rainfall were better predictors. In particular, nutrient-rich eutrophic reservoirs were found to have an order of magnitude higher per-area CH4 fluxes, on average, than their nutrient-poor oligotrophic counterparts. Therefore, management measures to reduce reservoir eutrophication may result in an important co-benefit, the reduction of GHG emissions to the atmosphere.
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GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM RESERVOIR WATER SURFACES: A NEW GLOBAL SYNTHESIS
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