Low diffusive methane emissions from the main channel of a large Amazonian run-of-the-river reservoir attributed to high methane oxidation
Abstract
The global development of hydropower dams has rapidly expanded over the last several decades and has spread to historically non-impounded systems such as the Amazon River's main low land tributaries in Brazil. Despite the recognized significance of reservoirs to the global methane (CH4) emission, the processes controlling this emission remain poorly understood, especially in Tropical reservoirs. Here we evaluate CH4 dynamics in the main channel and downstream of the Santo Antônio hydroelectric reservoir, a large tropical run-of-the-river (ROR) reservoir in Amazonia. This study is intended to give a snapshot of the CH4 dynamics during the falling water season at the initial stage after the start of operations. Our results show substantial and higher CH4 production in reservoirs' littoral sediment than in the naturally flooded areas downstream of the dam. Despite the large production in the reservoir or naturally flooded areas, high CH4 oxidation in the main channel keep the concentration and fluxes of CH4 in the main channel low. Similar CH4 concentrations in the reservoir and downstream close to the dam suggest negligible degassing at the dam, but stable isotopic evidence indicates the presence of a less oxidized pool of CH4 after the dam. ROR reservoirs are designed to disturbmore »
- Authors:
-
- University of Sao Paulo
- Linköping University
- BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)
- University of Washington
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1786302
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-160843
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Environmental Science
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- Amazon, aquatic, biogeochemistry, carbon cycling, flux, flood, greenhouse gas, hydroelectric dam, hydrobiogeochemistry, methane, oxidation, reservoirs, river, terrestrial aquatic interface
Citation Formats
Sawakuchi, Henrique O., Bastviken, David, Enrich-Prast, Alex, Ward, Nicholas D., Camargo, Plinio, and Richey, Jeffrey E. Low diffusive methane emissions from the main channel of a large Amazonian run-of-the-river reservoir attributed to high methane oxidation. United States: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2021.655455.
Sawakuchi, Henrique O., Bastviken, David, Enrich-Prast, Alex, Ward, Nicholas D., Camargo, Plinio, & Richey, Jeffrey E. Low diffusive methane emissions from the main channel of a large Amazonian run-of-the-river reservoir attributed to high methane oxidation. United States. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.655455
Sawakuchi, Henrique O., Bastviken, David, Enrich-Prast, Alex, Ward, Nicholas D., Camargo, Plinio, and Richey, Jeffrey E. 2021.
"Low diffusive methane emissions from the main channel of a large Amazonian run-of-the-river reservoir attributed to high methane oxidation". United States. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.655455.
@article{osti_1786302,
title = {Low diffusive methane emissions from the main channel of a large Amazonian run-of-the-river reservoir attributed to high methane oxidation},
author = {Sawakuchi, Henrique O. and Bastviken, David and Enrich-Prast, Alex and Ward, Nicholas D. and Camargo, Plinio and Richey, Jeffrey E.},
abstractNote = {The global development of hydropower dams has rapidly expanded over the last several decades and has spread to historically non-impounded systems such as the Amazon River's main low land tributaries in Brazil. Despite the recognized significance of reservoirs to the global methane (CH4) emission, the processes controlling this emission remain poorly understood, especially in Tropical reservoirs. Here we evaluate CH4 dynamics in the main channel and downstream of the Santo Antônio hydroelectric reservoir, a large tropical run-of-the-river (ROR) reservoir in Amazonia. This study is intended to give a snapshot of the CH4 dynamics during the falling water season at the initial stage after the start of operations. Our results show substantial and higher CH4 production in reservoirs' littoral sediment than in the naturally flooded areas downstream of the dam. Despite the large production in the reservoir or naturally flooded areas, high CH4 oxidation in the main channel keep the concentration and fluxes of CH4 in the main channel low. Similar CH4 concentrations in the reservoir and downstream close to the dam suggest negligible degassing at the dam, but stable isotopic evidence indicates the presence of a less oxidized pool of CH4 after the dam. ROR reservoirs are designed to disturb the natural river flow dynamics less than traditional reservoirs. If enough mixing and oxygenation remain throughout the reservoir's water column, naturally high CH4 oxidation rates can also remain and limit the diffusive CH4 emissions from the main channel. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight that our results focused on emissions in the deep and oxygenated main channel. High emissions, mainly through ebullition, may occur in the vast and shallow areas represented by bays and tributaries. However, detailed assessments are still required to understand the impacts of this reservoir on the annual emissions of CH4.},
doi = {10.3389/fenvs.2021.655455},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1786302},
journal = {Frontiers in Environmental Science},
number = ,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Apr 08 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Thu Apr 08 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
Works referenced in this record:
Physical controls on carbon dioxide transfer velocity and flux in low-gradient river systems and implications for regional carbon budgets
journal, January 2011
- Alin, Simone R.; Rasera, Maria de Fátima F. L.; Salimon, Cleber I.
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 116, Issue G1
High rates of methane oxidation in an Amazon floodplain lake
journal, February 2018
- Barbosa, Pedro M.; Farjalla, Vinicius F.; Melack, John M.
- Biogeochemistry, Vol. 137, Issue 3
Carbon emission from hydroelectric reservoirs linked to reservoir age and latitude
journal, July 2011
- Barros, Nathan; Cole, Jonathan J.; Tranvik, Lars J.
- Nature Geoscience, Vol. 4, Issue 9
Methane emissions from lakes: Dependence of lake characteristics, two regional assessments, and a global estimate: LAKE METHANE EMISSIONS
journal, October 2004
- Bastviken, David; Cole, Jonathan; Pace, Michael
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 18, Issue 4
Methane Emissions from Pantanal, South America, during the Low Water Season: Toward More Comprehensive Sampling
journal, July 2010
- Bastviken, David; Santoro, Ana Lucia; Marotta, Humberto
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 14
Controls on gas transfer velocities in a large river: GAS TRANSFER VELOCITIES IN A LARGE RIVER
journal, April 2012
- Beaulieu, Jake J.; Shuster, William D.; Rebholz, Jacob A.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 117, Issue G2
Divergent biophysical controls of aquatic CO2 and CH4 in the World’s two largest rivers
journal, October 2015
- Borges, Alberto V.; Abril, Gwenaël; Darchambeau, François
- Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, Issue 1
Atmospheric exchange of carbon dioxide in a low-wind oligotrophic lake measured by the addition of SF 6
journal, June 1998
- Cole, Jonathan J.; Caraco, Nina F.
- Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 43, Issue 4
Fractionation of carbon and hydrogen isotopes by methane-oxidizing bacteria
journal, July 1981
- Coleman, Dennis D.; Risatti, J. Bruno; Schoell, Martin
- Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 45, Issue 7
Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and emission in the newly constructed Belo Monte hydropower complex in the Xingu River, Amazonia
journal, January 2019
- de Araújo, Kleiton R.; Sawakuchi, Henrique O.; Bertassoli Jr., Dailson J.
- Biogeosciences, Vol. 16, Issue 18
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoir Water Surfaces: A New Global Synthesis
journal, October 2016
- Deemer, Bridget R.; Harrison, John A.; Li, Siyue
- BioScience, Vol. 66, Issue 11
Extreme Methane Emissions from a Swiss Hydropower Reservoir: Contribution from Bubbling Sediments
journal, April 2010
- DelSontro, Tonya; McGinnis, Daniel F.; Sobek, Sebastian
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 7
Size Does Matter: Importance of Large Bubbles and Small-Scale Hot Spots for Methane Transport
journal, January 2015
- DelSontro, T.; McGinnis, D. F.; Wehrli, B.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 49, Issue 3
Methane dynamics downstream of a temperate run-of-the-river reservoir: CH 4 dynamics below a run-of-the-river reservoir
journal, October 2016
- DelSontro, Tonya; Perez, Karina K.; Sollberger, Sébastien
- Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 61, Issue S1
Seasonal variations in the 13 C-CH 4 of Amazon floodplain waters
journal, January 1996
- Devol, Allan H.; Richey, Jeffrey E.; King, Stagg L.
- SIL Communications, 1953-1996, Vol. 25, Issue 1
Estimates of GHG emissions by hydroelectric reservoirs: The Brazilian case
journal, August 2017
- dos Santos, Marco Aurélio; Damázio, Jorge Machado; Rogério, Josiclea Pereira
- Energy, Vol. 133
Influence of Light Intensity on Methanotrophic Bacterial Activity in Petit Saut Reservoir, French Guiana
journal, February 1999
- Dumestre, J. F.; Guézennec, J.; Galy-Lacaux, C.
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 65, Issue 2
Different types of methane monooxygenases produce similar carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation patterns during methane oxidation
journal, March 2011
- Feisthauer, Stefan; Vogt, Carsten; Modrzynski, Jakub
- Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 75, Issue 5
Suspended sediment yields in the Amazon basin: an assessment using the Brazilian national data set
journal, October 2009
- Filizola, Naziano; Guyot, Jean Loup
- Hydrological Processes, Vol. 23, Issue 22
Greenhouse gas emissions from hydropower
journal, January 1997
- Gagnon, Luc; van de Vate, Joop F.
- Energy Policy, Vol. 25, Issue 1
Determination of the piston velocity for water-air interfaces using flux chambers, acoustic Doppler velocimetry, and IR imaging of the water surface: COMPARISON AND DEVELOPMENT OF
journal, May 2013
- Gålfalk, Magnus; Bastviken, David; Fredriksson, Sam
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 118, Issue 2
Dams, Chinese investments, and EIAs: A race to the bottom in South America?
journal, February 2019
- Gerlak, Andrea K.; Saguier, Marcelo; Mills-Novoa, Megan
- Ambio, Vol. 49, Issue 1
Anaerobic decomposition of tropical soils and plant material: Implication for the CO2 and CH4 budget of the Petit Saut Reservoir
journal, August 2008
- Guérin, Frédéric; Abril, Gwenaël; de Junet, Alexis
- Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 23, Issue 8
The influence of methane oxidation on the stable isotopic composition of methane emitted from Florida swamp forests
journal, October 1994
- Happell, James D.; Chanton, Jeffrey P.; Showers, William S.
- Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 58, Issue 20
Reservoir Water-Level Drawdowns Accelerate and Amplify Methane Emission
journal, January 2017
- Harrison, John A.; Deemer, Bridget R.; Birchfield, M. Keith
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 51, Issue 3
Methane input and evasion in a hardwood forest stream: Effects of subsurface flow from shallow and deep pathway
journal, September 1998
- Jones, Jeremy B.; Mulholland, Patrick J.
- Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 43, Issue 6
Tropical rivers
journal, September 2005
- Latrubesse, E. M.; Stevaux, J. C.; Sinha, R.
- Geomorphology, Vol. 70, Issue 3-4
Intra and interannual variability in the Madeira River water chemistry and sediment load
journal, January 2011
- Leite, Nei K.; Krusche, Alex V.; Ballester, Maria V. R.
- Biogeochemistry, Vol. 105, Issue 1-3
Biogeochemical distinction of methane releases from two Amazon hydroreservoirs
journal, June 2005
- Lima, Ivan Bergier Tavares
- Chemosphere, Vol. 59, Issue 11
Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada
journal, September 2012
- Mallia, E.; Lewis, G.
- The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Vol. 18, Issue 2
Greenhouse gas production in low-latitude lake sediments responds strongly to warming
journal, May 2014
- Marotta, H.; Pinho, L.; Gudasz, C.
- Nature Climate Change, Vol. 4, Issue 6
Deconstructing Methane Emissions from a Small Northern European River: Hydrodynamics and Temperature as Key Drivers
journal, October 2016
- McGinnis, Daniel F.; Bilsley, Nicole; Schmidt, Mark
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 50, Issue 21
Spatial and seasonal variations in the stable carbon isotopic composition of methane in stream sediments of eastern Amazonia
journal, January 2008
- Sousa Moura, José mauro; Martens, Christopher S.; Moreira, Marcelo Zacharias
- Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, Vol. 60, Issue 1
Inhibitory effect of light on methane oxidation in the pelagic water column of a mesotrophic lake (Lake Biwa, Japan)
journal, July 2005
- Murase, Jun; Sugimoto, Atsuko
- Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 50, Issue 4
Biogenic gases and the oxidation and reduction of carbon in Amazon River and floodplain waters: Amazon dissolved gases
journal, July 1988
- Richey, Jeffrey E.; Devol, Allan H.; Wofsy, Steven C.
- Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 33, Issue 4
Decline of Fine Suspended Sediments in the Madeira River Basin (2003–2017)
journal, March 2019
- Ayes Rivera, Irma; Armijos Cardenas, Elisa; Espinoza-Villar, Raúl
- Water, Vol. 11, Issue 3
Carbon Dioxide Emissions along the Lower Amazon River
journal, March 2017
- Sawakuchi, Henrique O.; Neu, Vania; Ward, Nicholas D.
- Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol. 4
Methane emissions from Amazonian Rivers and their contribution to the global methane budget
journal, June 2014
- Sawakuchi, Henrique O.; Bastviken, David; Sawakuchi, André O.
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 20, Issue 9
Oxidative mitigation of aquatic methane emissions in large Amazonian rivers
journal, February 2016
- Sawakuchi, Henrique O.; Bastviken, David; Sawakuchi, André O.
- Global Change Biology, Vol. 22, Issue 3
Relationship between wind speed and gas exchange over the ocean
journal, January 1992
- Wanninkhof, Rik
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, Issue C5
Renewable but not carbon-free
journal, July 2011
- Wehrli, Bernhard
- Nature Geoscience, Vol. 4, Issue 9
Carbon and hydrogen isotope systematics of bacterial formation and oxidation of methane
journal, September 1999
- Whiticar, Michael J.
- Chemical Geology, Vol. 161, Issue 1-3, p. 291-314
Equilibrium solubilities of methane, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen in water and sea water
journal, October 1979
- Wiesenburg, Denis A.; Guinasso, Norman L.
- Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, Vol. 24, Issue 4
A global boom in hydropower dam construction
journal, October 2014
- Zarfl, Christiane; Lumsdon, Alexander E.; Berlekamp, Jürgen
- Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 77, Issue 1
Pathway of CH4 production, fraction of CH4 oxidized, and 13C isotope fractionation in a straw-incorporated rice field
journal, January 2013
- Zhang, G. B.; Ji, Y.; Ma, J.
- Biogeosciences, Vol. 10, Issue 5