The Largely Ignored but Important Role of Non‐Rooted, Submersed Vegetation and Small Waterbodies on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Graduate Program in Environmental Science Syracuse NY USA
Small, shallow waterbodies are abundant globally and are associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disproportionate to their size. One reason for this is the prevalence of non‐rooted, submersed (NRS) macrophytes that often dominate these systems. Despite these plants' significant role in the carbon ecology of their ecosystems, they are often excluded from climate change models due, in part, to the lack of clarity of their effects. Theus et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007758 ) provides new insights into the role that NRS macrophytes have on GHG emissions, demonstrating that increasing densities of these macrophytes lead to increases in both CO 2 and CH 4 gas fluxes. Here, we highlight the importance of both shallow waterbodies and NRS vegetation within the context of the field of aquatic ecosystem biogeochemistry. We identify a need for the inclusion of these drivers into climate change models based partly on the findings of Theus et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007758 ).
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0022191
- OSTI ID:
- 2281634
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 129; ISSN 2169-8953
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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