Methane fluxes from lakes are considerably higher during the day than the night, according to a study conducted by LiU researchers.
Consequently, the research group assesses that the contribution of northern lakes to global methane emissions is 15 per cent lower than previously estimated. The study is published in PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Freshwater lakes, rivers and reservoirs are the second greatest source of emissions of methane, the second most important greenhouse gas for global warming. Methane is also the greenhouse gas that has increased most in the atmosphere over the past 250 years.
“The methane flux has increased irregularly, and we don’t actually know why” says Anna Sieczko, postdoctoral researcher at Environmental Change in the Department of Thematic Studies who, together with colleagues at Linköping University and Umeå University, has published the PNAS paper.
Methane fluxes differ over time and space, and many researchers are trying to find and quantify all sources and sinks, and to understand the flux regulation. The LiU research group, led by Professor David Bastviken from Environmental Change, has measured methane fluxes from lakes – recently discovered to be the second largest natural methane source on Earth.
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