Open AccessMeasuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions From China's Reservoirs
Author(s) -
Yang Le,
Lu Fei,
Wang Xiaoke
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo010001
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , hydroelectricity , environmental science , methane , natural gas , carbon dioxide , fugitive emissions , electricity , methane emissions , electricity generation , environmental engineering , carbon dioxide equivalent , environmental protection , waste management , ecology , power (physics) , geology , engineering , oceanography , physics , electrical engineering , quantum mechanics , biology
Hydroelectricity has typically been regarded as a green energy source, but reservoirs created for its generation emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) just as natural lakes and rivers do. The role of reservoirs in GHG emissions has been overlooked. Substantial amounts of methane (CH 4 ) are emitted from reservoir surfaces every year, which account for about 20% of the total CH 4 emission from inland waters. GHG emissions (transferred into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) equivalents) from some tropical reservoirs even exceed CO 2 emissions from thermal power plants if the same amount of electricity is generated.