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Long-term warming amplifies shifts in the carbon cycle of experimental ponds

Nature Climate Change volume 7, pages 209–213 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Lakes and ponds cover only about 4% of the Earth’s non-glaciated surface1, yet they represent disproportionately large sources of methane and carbon dioxide2,3,4. Indeed, very small ponds (for example, <0.001 km2) may account for approximately 40% of all CH4 emissions from inland waters5. Understanding how greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic ecosystems will respond to global warming is therefore vital for forecasting biosphere–carbon cycle feedbacks. Here, we present findings on the long-term effects of warming on the fluxes of GHGs and rates of ecosystem metabolism in experimental ponds. We show that shifts in CH4 and CO2 fluxes, and rates of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration, observed in the first year became amplified over seven years of warming. The capacity to absorb CO2 was nearly halved after seven years of warmer conditions. The phenology of greenhouse gas fluxes was also altered, with CO2 drawdown and CH4 emissions peaking one month earlier in the warmed treatments. These findings show that warming can fundamentally alter the carbon balance of small ponds over a number of years, reducing their capacity to sequester CO2 and increasing emissions of CH4; such positive feedbacks could ultimately accelerate climate change.

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Figure 1: Long-term experimental warming amplifies shifts in CH4 emissions.
Figure 2: Long-term experimental warming amplifies shifts in ecosystem metabolism.
Figure 3: Experimental warming alters the phenology and annual budget of net CO2 flux.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK (NE/H022511/1) awarded to M.T., G.Y.-D. and G.W.

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Author notes

  1. Gabriel Yvon-Durocher and Chris J. Hulatt: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK

    Gabriel Yvon-Durocher

  2. School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK

    Chris J. Hulatt & Mark Trimmer

  3. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK

    Guy Woodward

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  1. Gabriel Yvon-Durocher
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  2. Chris J. Hulatt
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Contributions

M.T. and G.Y.-D. conceived the study. C.J.H. and G.Y.-D. conducted the experiments. G.Y.-D., C.J.H. and M.T. analysed the data. G.Y.-D. wrote the manuscript and all authors contributed to revisions.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Gabriel Yvon-Durocher or Mark Trimmer.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Yvon-Durocher, G., Hulatt, C., Woodward, G. et al. Long-term warming amplifies shifts in the carbon cycle of experimental ponds. Nature Clim Change 7, 209–213 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3229

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