An inter-regional assessment of concentrations and δ13C values of methane and dissolved inorganic carbon in small European lakes

Rinta, Päivi Johanna; Bastviken, David; van Hardenbroek, Maarten; Kankaala, Paula; Leuenberger, Markus; Schilder, Jos; Stötter, Tabea; Heiri, Oliver (2015). An inter-regional assessment of concentrations and δ13C values of methane and dissolved inorganic carbon in small European lakes. Aquatic Sciences, 77(4), pp. 667-680. Springer 10.1007/s00027-015-0410-y

[img]
Preview
Text
AquatSci_77_667.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (878kB) | Preview

Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide emissions from lakes are relevant for assessing the greenhouse gas output of wetlands. However, only few standardized datasets describe concentrations of these gases in lakes across different geographical regions. We studied concentrations and stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of CH4 and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in 32 small lakes from Finland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in late summer. Higher concentrations and δ13C values of DIC were observed in calcareous lakes than in lakes on non-calcareous areas. In stratified lakes, δ13C values of DIC were generally lower in the hypolimnion due to the degradation of organic matter (OM). Unexpectedly, increased δ13C values of DIC were registered above the sediment in several lakes. This may reflect carbonate dissolution in calcareous lakes or methanogenesis in deepwater layers or in the sediments. Surface water CH4 concentrations were generally higher in western and central European lakes than in Fennoscandian lakes, possibly due to higher CH4 production in the littoral sediments and lateral transport, whereas CH4 concentrations in the hypolimnion did not differ significantly between the regions. The δ13C values of CH4 in the sediment suggest that δ13C values of biogenic CH4 are not necessarily linked to δ13C values of sedimentary OM but may be strongly influenced by OM quality and methanogenic pathway. Our study suggests that CH4 and DIC cycling in small lakes differ between geographical regions and that this should be taken into account when regional studies on greenhouse gas emissions are upscaled to inter-regional scales.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Climate and Environmental Physics
10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Palaeoecology
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)

Graduate School:

Graduate School of Climate Sciences

UniBE Contributor:

Rinta, Päivi Johanna, van Hardenbroek, Maarten Reinier, Leuenberger, Markus, Schilder, Johannes Cornelis, Stötter, Tabea, Heiri, Oliver

Subjects:

500 Science > 530 Physics
500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

1015-1621

Publisher:

Springer

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

23 Oct 2015 15:13

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:26

Publisher DOI:

10.1007/s00027-015-0410-y

Uncontrolled Keywords:

CH4; CO2; Carbon cycling; Greenhouse gas; Stable carbon isotopes; Lakes

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.72264

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/72264

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback