Cross-continental importance of CH4 emissions from dry inland-waters

Despite substantial advances in quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dry inland waters, existing estimates mainly consist of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, methane (CH4) may also be relevant due to its higher Global Warming Potential (GWP). We report CH4 emissions from dry inland water sediments to i) provide a cross-continental estimate of such emissions for different types of aquatic systems (i.e., lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and streams) and climate zones (i.e., tropical, continental, and temperate); and ii) determine the environmental factors that control these emissions. CH4 emissions from dry inland waters were consistently higher than emissions observed in adjacent uphill soils, across climate zones and in all aquatic systems except for streams. However, the CH4 contribution (normalized to CO2 equivalents; CO2-eq) to the total GHG emissions of dry inland waters was similar for all types of aquatic systems and varied from 10 to 21%. Although we discuss multiple controlling factors, dry inland water CH4 emissions were most strongly related to sediment organic matter content and moisture. Summing CO2 and CH4 emissions revealed a cross-continental average emission of 9.6 +/- 17.4 g CO2-eqm(-2) d(-1) from dry inland waters. We argue that increasing droughts likely expand the worldwide surface area of atmosphere-exposed aquatic sediments, thereby increasing global dry inland water CH4 emissions. Hence, CH4 cannot be ignored if we want to fully understand the carbon (C) cycle of dry sediments.

Automated summary

Despite progress in quantifying greenhouse gas emissions, existing estimates mostly focus on carbon dioxide and overlook the relevance of methane emissions from dry inland waters. This study provides a cross-continental estimate of methane emissions and identifies sediment organic matter content and moisture as the main controlling factors. Methane emissions from dry inland waters are consistently higher than those observed in adjacent uphill soils, and their contribution to total greenhouse gas emissions is similar across different types of aquatic systems. These findings highlight the importance of considering methane in the carbon cycle of dry sediments.