Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Significant fraction of CO2 emissions from boreal lakes derived from hydrologic inorganic carbon inputs

Nature Geoscience volume 8, pages 933–936 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Annual CO2 emissions from lakes and other inland waters into the atmosphere are estimated to almost entirely compensate the total annual carbon uptake by oceans1,2,3. CO2 supersaturation in lakes, which results in CO2 emissions, is frequently attributed to CO2 produced within the lake4,5,6,7,8. However, lateral inorganic carbon flux through watersheds can also be sizeable9,10,11. Here we calculated lake surface water CO2 concentrations and emissions using lake pH, alkalinity and temperature from a compilation of data from 5,118 boreal lakes12. Autumn surface water CO2 concentrations and CO2 emissions from the 5,118 lakes co-varied with lake internal autumn CO2 production. However, using a mass balance approach we found that CO2 emission in the majority of lakes was sustained by inorganic carbon loading from the catchment rather than by internal CO2 production. Small lakes with high dissolved organic carbon and phosphorus concentrations, shorter retention times and longer ice-free seasons had the highest CO2 concentrations. CO2 emissions from these small lakes was twice that of comparable lakes in colder regions, and similar to emissions from subtropical and tropical lakes. We conclude that changes in land use and climate that increase dissolved inorganic carbon may cause emission levels from boreal lakes to approach those of lakes in warmer regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: CO2 lake concentrations and DIC fluxes for 5,118 boreal lakes distributed across 16 temperature regions.
Figure 2: Contribution of lake internal CO2 production to CO2 emission in 5,118 boreal lakes during autumn.
Figure 3: DIC mass balances for four lake types.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Raymond, P. A. et al. Global carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters. Nature 503, 355–359 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Tranvik, L. J. et al. Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate. Limnol. Oceanogr. 54, 2298–2314 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wanninkhof, R. et al. Global ocean carbon uptake: Magnitude, variability and trends. Biogeosciences 10, 1983–2000 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Cole, J. J., Caraco, N. F., Kling, G. W. & Kratz, T. K. Carbon-dioxide supersaturation in the surface waters of lakes. Science 265, 1568–1570 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Sobek, S., Tranvik, L. J. & Cole, J. J. Temperature independence of carbon dioxide supersaturation in global lakes. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 19, GB2003 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kosten, S. et al. Climate-dependent CO2 emissions from lakes. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 24, GB2007 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Duarte, C. M. et al. CO2 emissions from saline lakes: A global estimate of a surprisingly large flux. J. Geophys. Res. 113, G04041 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Duarte, C. M. & Prairie, Y. T. Prevalence of heterotrophy and atmospheric CO2 emissions from aquatic ecosystems. Ecosystems 8, 862–870 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Humborg, C. et al. CO(2) supersaturation along the aquatic conduit in Swedish watersheds as constrained by terrestrial respiration, aquatic respiration and weathering. Glob. Change Biol. 16, 1966–1978 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Maberly, S. C., Barker, P. A., Stott, A. W. & DeVille, M. M. Catchment productivity controls CO2 emissions from lakes. Nature Clim. Change 3, 391–394 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. McDonald, C. P., Stets, E. G., Striegl, R. G. & Butman, D. Inorganic carbon loading as a primary driver of dissolved carbon dioxide concentrations in the lakes and reservoirs of the contiguous United States. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 27, 285–295 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Swedish National Lake Inventory data downloaded from http://www.slu.se/vatten-miljo on July 2014.

  13. Cole, J. J. et al. Plumbing the global carbon cycle: Integrating inland waters into the terrestrial carbon budget. Ecosystems 10, 171–184 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Battin, T. J. et al. The boundless carbon cycle. Nature Geosci. 2, 598–600 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Aufdenkampe, A. K. et al. Riverine coupling of biogeochemical cycles between land, oceans, and atmosphere. Front. Ecol. Environ. 9, 53–60 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Jonsson, A., Karlsson, J. & Jansson, M. Sources of carbon dioxide supersaturation in clearwater and humic lakes in northern Sweden. Ecosystems 6, 224–235 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Åberg, J., Jansson, M. & Jonsson, A. in International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology, Vol 29, Pt 2, Proceedings International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology—Proceedings (ed. Jones, J.) Vol. 29, 577–579 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Whitfield, C. J., Seabert, T. A., Aherne, J. & Watmough, S. A. Carbon dioxide supersaturation in peatland waters and its contribution to atmospheric efflux from downstream boreal lakes. J. Geophys. Res. 115, G04040 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Stets, E. G., Striegl, R. G., Aiken, G. R., Rosenberry, D. O. & Winter, T. C. Hydrologic support of carbon dioxide flux revealed by whole-lake carbon budgets. J. Geophys. Res. 114, G01008 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Jones, R. I., Grey, J., Quarmby, C. & Sleep, D. Sources and fluxes of inorganic carbon in a deep, oligotrophic lake (Loch Ness, Scotland). Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 15, 863–870 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Striegl, R. G. & Michmerhuizen, C. M. Hydrologic influence on methane and carbon dioxide dynamics at two north-central Minnesota lakes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 43, 1519–1529 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Dillon, P. J. & Molot, L. A. Dissolved organic and inorganic carbon mass balances in central Ontario lakes. Biogeochemistry 36, 29–42 (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Algesten, G. et al. Contribution of sediment respiration to summer CO2 emission from low productive boreal and subarctic lakes. Microb. Ecol. 50, 529–535 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Brothers, S. M., Prairie, Y. T. & del Giorgio, P. A. Benthic and pelagic sources of carbon dioxide in boreal lakes and a young reservoir (Eastmain-1) in eastern Canada. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 26, GB1002 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Koehler, B., Landelius, T., Weyhenmeyer, G. A., Machida, N. & Tranvik, L. J. Sunlight-induced carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 28, 696–711 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Öquist, M. G., Wallin, M., Seibert, J., Bishop, K. & Laudon, H. Dissolved inorganic carbon export across the soil/stream interface and its fate in a boreal headwater stream. Environ. Sci. Technol. 43, 7364–7369 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Verpoorter, C., Kutser, T., Seekell, D. A. & Tranvik, L. J. A global inventory of lakes based on high-resolution satellite imagery. Geophy. Res. Lett. 41, 6396–6402 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Weyhenmeyer, G. A., Kortelainen, P., Sobek, S., Müller, R. & Rantakari, M. Carbon dioxide in boreal surface waters: A comparison of lakes and streams. Ecosystems 15, 1295–1307 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Abril, G. et al. Technical Note: Large overestimation of p CO ( 2 ) calculated from pH and alkalinity in acidic, organic-rich freshwaters. Biogeoscience 12, 67–78 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Livingstone, D. M., Lotter, A. F. & Walker, I. R. The decrease in summer surface water temperature with altitude in Swiss Alpine lakes: A comparison with air temperature lapse rates. Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res. 31, 341–352 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Weyhenmeyer, G. A., Peter, H. & Willen, E. Shifts in phytoplankton species richness and biomass along a latitudinal gradient-consequences for relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Freshwat. Biol. 58, 612–623 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Gudasz, C. et al. Temperature-controlled organic carbon mineralization in lake sediments. Nature 466, 478-481 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Algesten, G. et al. Contribution of sediment respiration to summer CO2 emission from low productive boreal and subarctic lakes. Microb. Ecol. 50, 529–535 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Vähätalo, A. V., Salkinoja-Salonen, M., Taalas, P. & Salonen, K. Spectrum of the quantum yield for photochemical mineralization of dissolved organic carbon in a humic lake. Limnol. Oceanogr. 45, 664–676 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Algesten, G. et al. Role of lakes for organic carbon cycling in the boreal zone. Glob. Change Biol. 10, 141–147 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Seekell, D. A. et al. The influence of dissolved organic carbon on primary production in northern lakes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 60, 1276–1285 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Crusius, J. & Wanninkhof, R. Gas transfer velocities measured at low wind speed over a lake. Limnol. Oceanogr. 48, 1010–1017 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Jähne, B., Heinz, G. & Dietrich, W. Measurement of the diffusion coefficients of sparingly soluble gases in water. J. Geophys. Res. 92, 10767–10776 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Read, J. S. et al. Lake-size dependency of wind shear and convection as controls on gas exchange. Geophys. Res. Lett. 39, L09405 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Financial support was received from the Swedish Research Council (VR), the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the European Union (C-CASCADES project). This work is part of and profited from the networks financed by Nordforsk (CRAICC and DOMQUA), National Science Foundation (GLEON) and the Norwegian Research Council (Norklima ECCO). S.K. was supported by NWO-VENI grant 86312012. E.J. was supported by the MARS project (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress) funded under the 7th EU Framework Programme, Theme 6 (Environment including Climate Change), Contract No.: 603378 (http://www.mars-project.eu). Many thanks go to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the staff of the laboratory of the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment for financing, sampling and analysing thousands of water, and to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute for making meteorological data freely available.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Genetics/Limnology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden

    Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Marcus B. Wallin & Lars J. Tranvik

  2. Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525AF Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Sarian Kosten

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden

    Marcus B. Wallin

  4. Department of Bioscience and Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark,

    Erik Jeppesen

  5. Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research (UCAS), Beijing 100049, China

    Erik Jeppesen

  6. Department of Biology, Juiz de Fora Federal University, 36.036-900 Juiz de Fora, Brazil

    Fabio Roland

Authors
  1. Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sarian Kosten
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marcus B. Wallin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lars J. Tranvik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Erik Jeppesen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Fabio Roland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

G.A.W. designed the study. All authors contributed with data and/or equations, and all authors made substantial contributions to the methods, the results, the discussion and the conclusions.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Information (PDF 407 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Weyhenmeyer, G., Kosten, S., Wallin, M. et al. Significant fraction of CO2 emissions from boreal lakes derived from hydrologic inorganic carbon inputs. Nature Geosci 8, 933–936 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2582

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2582

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Microbiology

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Microbiology