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Title: Sediment Characteristics and Methane Ebullition in Three Subarctic Lakes

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden); DOE/OSTI
  2. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
  3. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden)
  4. Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princes Anne, MD (United States)
  5. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States); Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Ebullition (bubbling) from climate-sensitive northern lakes remains an unconstrained source of atmospheric methane (CH4). Although the focus of many recent studies, ebullition is rarely linked to the physical characteristics of lakes. In this study we analyze the sediments of subarctic postglacial lakes and investigate how sediment properties relate to the large spatial variation in CH4 bubble flux, quantified over multiple years using bubble traps. The results show that the sediments from our lakes are rich in total organic carbon, containing 37 kg/m3 on average. This number is roughly 40% higher than the average for yedoma deposits, which have been identified as high CH4 emitters. However, the quantity of total organic carbon is not a useful indicator of high emissions from the study lakes. Neither is the amount of CH4 in the sediment a reliable measure of ebullition potential. Instead, our data point to coarse detritus, partly from buried submerged aquatic vegetation and redeposited peat as spatial controls on fluxes, often in combination with previously established effects of incoming solar radiation and water depth. The results once again highlight the climate sensitivity of northern lakes, indicating that biological responses to warmer waters and increased energy input and heating of organic sediments during longer ice-free seasons can substantially alter future CH4 emissions.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0004632; SC0010580
OSTI ID:
1539734
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 123; ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (2)

Long‐Term Measurements of Methane Ebullition From Thaw Ponds journal July 2019
Climate‐Sensitive Controls on Large Spring Emissions of CH 4 and CO 2 From Northern Lakes journal July 2019

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58 GEOSCIENCES
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