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Long-term effect of reservoir emissions on the climate is increasingly dominated by methane

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Modelling of the effect of reservoirs on the climate through time (1900 to 2060) revealed that although carbon emissions peaked in 1987, reservoir-induced radiative forcing will continue to rise for the next decades. Over time, reservoir emissions are shifting from carbon dioxide to methane-dominated pathways, on which knowledge is largely lacking.

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Fig. 1: Evolution of reservoir-induced radiative forcing.

References

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Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Soued, C. et al. Reservoir CO2 and CH4 emissions and their climate impact over the period 1900–2060. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01004-2 (2022).

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Long-term effect of reservoir emissions on the climate is increasingly dominated by methane. Nat. Geosci. 15, 694–695 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01023-z

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