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AGU: Journal of Geophysical Research, Biogeosciences

 

Keywords

  • lakes
  • saline
  • CO2
  • fluxes

Index Terms

  • Biogeosciences: Limnology
  • Biogeosciences: Carbon cycling
  • Biogeosciences: Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling
  • Global Change: Land/atmosphere interactions
Abstract
Cited By (0)
 

Abstract

CO2 emissions from saline lakes: A global estimate of a surprisingly large flux

Carlos M. Duarte

CSIC-UIB, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, Esporles, Spain

Yves T. Prairie

Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Carlos Montes

Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Jonathan J. Cole

Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, USA

Robert Striegl

United States Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado, USA

John Melack

Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA

John A. Downing

Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Department, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA

The role of saline lakes in CO2 exchange with the atmosphere was evaluated on the basis of calculated partial pressure (pCO2) and CO2 exchange rates with the atmosphere derived from a compilation of published data for 196 saline lakes around the world. The average surface water pCO2 exceeded atmospheric pCO2 by a factor of 5–8 times, indicative of a tendency for saline lakes to emit CO2 to the atmosphere. Chemically enhanced emission, calculated from solute chemistry, pH, and wind speed, increased gas exchange an average of 2.3 times over that of freshwater lakes having equivalent pCO2. The globally distributed lakes emitted CO2 at rates in excess of 80 mmol m−2 d−1. The Caspian Sea was calculated to support alone a total CO2 emission of 0.02 to 0.04 Gt C a−1, with the total CO2 emissions to the atmosphere from saline lakes calculated to be 0.11–0.15 Gt C a−1. Consideration of CO2 emissions from saline lakes raises the total CO2 emissions to the atmosphere from all lakes to 0.28–0.32 Gt CO2. These results point to a significant role of saline lakes in global C cycling.

Received 29 October 2007; accepted 19 September 2008; published 31 December 2008.

Citation: Duarte, C. M., Y. T. Prairie, C. Montes, J. J. Cole, R. Striegl, J. Melack, and J. A. Downing (2008), CO2 emissions from saline lakes: A global estimate of a surprisingly large flux, J. Geophys. Res., 113, G04041, doi:10.1029/2007JG000637.

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