Carbon dioxide supersaturation in the surface waters of lakes
- Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY (United States)
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Data on the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) in the surface waters from a large number of lakes (1835) with a worldwide distribution show that only a small proportion of the 4665 samples analyzed (less than 10 percent) were within {+-}20 percent of equilibrium with the atmosphere and that most samples (87 percent) were supersaturated. The mean partial pressure of CO{sub 2} averaged 1036 microatmospheres, about three times the value in the overlying atmosphere, indicating that lakes are sources rather than sinks of atmospheric CO{sub 2}. On a global scale, the potential efflux of CO{sub 2} from lakes (about 0.14 x 10{sup 15} grams of carbon per year) is about half as large as riverine transport of organic plus inorganic carbon to the ocean. Lakes are a small but potentially important conduit for carbon for terrestrial sources to the atmospheric sink. 18 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 70314
- Journal Information:
- Science, Vol. 265, Issue 5178; Other Information: PBD: 9 Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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