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Climate‐dependent CO 2 emissions from lakes
Author(s) -
Kosten Sarian,
Roland Fábio,
Da Motta Marques David M. L.,
Van Nes Egbert H.,
Mazzeo Néstor,
Sternberg Leonel da S. L.,
Scheffer Marten,
Cole Jon J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1029/2009gb003618
Subject(s) - carbon cycle , environmental science , carbon dioxide , climate change , carbon fibers , total organic carbon , atmospheric sciences , mineralization (soil science) , sediment , global warming , dissolved organic carbon , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , environmental chemistry , oceanography , ecology , ecosystem , geology , chemistry , soil science , geomorphology , soil water , composite number , composite material , biology , materials science
Inland waters, just as the world's oceans, play an important role in the global carbon cycle. While lakes and reservoirs typically emit CO 2 , they also bury carbon in their sediment. The net CO 2 emission is largely the result of the decomposition or preservation of terrestrially supplied carbon. What regulates the balance between CO 2 emission and carbon burial is not known, but climate change and temperature have been hypothesized to influence both processes. We analyzed patterns in carbon dioxide partial pressure ( p CO 2 ) in 83 shallow lakes over a large climatic gradient in South America and found a strong, positive correlation with temperature. The higher p CO 2 in warmer lakes may be caused by a higher, temperature‐dependent mineralization of organic carbon. This pattern suggests that cool lakes may start to emit more CO 2 when they warm up because of climate change.