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- Title
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoir Water Surfaces: A New Global Synthesis.
- Authors
DEEMER, BRIDGET R.; HARRISON, JOHN A.; SIYUE LI; BEAULIEU, JAKE J.; DELSONTRO, TONYA; BARROS, NATHAN; BEZERRA-NETO, JOSÉ F.; POWERS, STEPHEN M.; DOS SANTOS, MARCO A.; VONK, J. ARIE
- Abstract
Collectively, reservoirs created by dams are thought to be an important source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. So far, efforts to quantify, model, and manage these emissions have been limited by data availability and inconsistencies in methodological approach. Here, we synthesize reservoir CH4, CO2, and N2O emission data with three main objectives: (1) to generate a global estimate of GHG emissions from reservoirs, (2) to identify the best predictors of these emissions, and (3) to consider the effect of methodology on emission estimates. We estimate that GHG emissions from reservoir water surfaces account for 0.8 (0.5-1.2) Pg CO2 equivalents per year, with the majority of this forcing due to CH4. We then discuss the potential for several alternative pathways such as dam degassing and downstream emissions to contribute significantly to overall emissions. Although prior studies have linked reservoir GHG emissions to reservoir age and latitude, we find that factors related to reservoir productivity are better predictors of emission.
- Subjects
GREENHOUSES; DAMS; HYDRAULIC structures; RADIATIVE forcing; EMISSIONS (Air pollution)
- Publication
BioScience, 2016, Vol 66, Issue 11, p949
- ISSN
0006-3568
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/biosci/biw117