skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: CO2 is dominant greenhouse gas emitted from six hydropower reservoirs in southeastern United States during peak summer emissions

Journal Article · · Water (Basel)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/w8010015· OSTI ID:1234326
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Xcel Engineering, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Oak Ridge Associated Univ., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Marshall Univ., Huntington, WV (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

During August-September 2012, we sampled six hydropower reservoirs in southeastern United States. for CO2 and CH4 emissions via three pathways: diffusive emissions from water surface; ebullition in the water column; and losses from dam tailwaters during power generation. Average total emission rates of CO2 for the six reservoirs ranged from 1,127 to 2,051 mg m-2 d-1, which is low to moderate compared to CO2 emissions rates reported for tropical hydropower reservoirs and boreal ponds and lakes, and similar to rates reported for other temperate reservoirs. Similar average rates for CH4 were also relatively low, ranging from 5 to 83 mg m-2 d-1. On a whole-reservoir basis, total emissions of CO2 ranged nearly 10-fold, from ~51,000 kg per day for Fontana to ~486,000 kg per day for Guntersville, and total emissions of CH4 ranged nearly 20-fold, from ~5 kg per day for Fontana to ~83 kg per day for Allatoona. Emissions through the tailwater pathway varied among reservoirs, comprising from 20 to 50% of total CO2 emissions and 0 to 90% of CH4 emissions, depending on the reservoir. Furthermore, several explanatory factors related to reservoir morphology and water quality were considered for observed differences among reservoirs.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1234326
Journal Information:
Water (Basel), Vol. 8; ISSN 2073-4441
Publisher:
MDPI
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (36)

Production and consumption of methane in freshwater lake ecosystems journal November 2011
Sources of dissolved methane in Lake Biwa journal August 2003
A mechanism for bimodal emission of gaseous mercury from aquatic macrophytes journal March 2005
Hydroacoustic analysis of spatial and temporal variability of bottom sediment characteristics in Lake Kinneret in relation to water level fluctuation journal December 2009
Der Merowe-Staudamm und dessen Wasserkraftwerk im Sudan journal February 2011
Size Does Matter: Importance of Large Bubbles and Small-Scale Hot Spots for Methane Transport journal January 2015
High Methane Emissions from a Midlatitude Reservoir Draining an Agricultural Watershed journal September 2014
Climate-dependent CO 2 emissions from lakes : CLIMATE-DEPENDENT CO journal May 2010
Emission of CO<SUB>2</SUB> from hydroelectric reservoirs in northern Sweden journal January 2004
Spatial and Temporal Correlates of Greenhouse Gas Diffusion from a Hydropower Reservoir in the Southern United States journal October 2015
CO2 and CH4 fluxes across a Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm. stand journal January 2012
Pressurized Ventilation in the Yellow Waterlily journal October 1981
Greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs of the western United States: GHG EMISSIONS FROM WESTERN U.S. RESERVOIRS journal September 2004
Prevalence of Heterotrophy and Atmospheric CO2 Emissions from Aquatic Ecosystems journal October 2005
Assessing factors underlying variation of CO2 emissions in boreal lakes vs. reservoirs journal November 2011
Spatial Heterogeneity of Methane Ebullition in a Large Tropical Reservoir journal December 2011
Do Hydroelectric Reservoirs Emit Greenhouse Gases? journal March 2004
Methane emissions from lakes: Dependence of lake characteristics, two regional assessments, and a global estimate: LAKE METHANE EMISSIONS journal October 2004
Increases in Fluxes of Greenhouse Gases and Methyl Mercury following Flooding of an Experimental Reservoir † journal May 1997
Carbon emission from hydroelectric reservoirs linked to reservoir age and latitude journal July 2011
Seasonal Dynamics of CO2 Flux Across the Surface of Shallow Temperate Lakes journal December 2011
Patterns in CH 4 and CO 2 concentrations across boreal rivers: Major drivers and implications for fluvial greenhouse emissions under climate change scenarios journal February 2014
Extreme Methane Emissions from a Swiss Hydropower Reservoir: Contribution from Bubbling Sediments journal April 2010
Fluxes of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in boreal lakes and potential anthropogenic effects on the aquatic greenhouse gas emissions journal July 2003
Reservoir Surfaces as Sources of Greenhouse Gases to the Atmosphere: A Global Estimate journal January 2000
Long-term greenhouse gas emissions from hydroelectric reservoirs in tropical forest regions journal June 1999
Production of the greenhouse gases CH 4 and CO 2 by hydroelectric reservoirs of the boreal region journal December 1995
The catchment and climate regulation of pCO2 in boreal lakes journal April 2003
Spatial Heterogeneity of Surface CO2 Fluxes in a Newly Created Eastmain-1 Reservoir in Northern Quebec, Canada journal October 2010
Long-term trends in methane flux from the sediments of Onondaga Lake, NY: Sediment diagenesis and impacts on dissolved oxygen resources journal August 2005
Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate journal November 2009
Detritus in the Lake Ecosystem journal January 1978
Changing concentration, lifetime and climate forcing of atmospheric methane journal January 1998
Temperature independence of carbon dioxide supersaturation in global lakes: CARBON DIOXIDE SUPERSATURATION IN GLOBAL LAKES journal April 2005
Challenges and solutions for assessing the impact of freshwater reservoirs on natural GHG emissions journal January 2012
CO 2 emissions from a tropical hydroelectric reservoir (Balbina, Brazil) journal January 2011

Similar Records

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
13 HYDRO ENERGY
CH4
CO2
greenhouse gas emissions
hydropower
reservoir