In situ measurements of dissolved gases (CO2 and CH4) in a wide range of concentrations in a tropical reservoir using an equilibrator

CO2 and CH4 dynamics in a eutrophic tropical Andean reservoir

We studied the dynamics of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in a eutrophic tropical reservoir located in the Colombian Andes. Temporal and spatial dynamics were addressed through sampling during six field campaigns conducted throughout a two-year period. We monitored fluxes at the air-water interface, dissolved gas concentrations, physical and chemical properties of the water column, microstructure profiles of turbulence, and meteorological conditions. Throughout the study period, the reservoir was a persistent source of CH4 to the atmosphere with higher emissions occurring in the near inflow region. During periods of low water levels, both the emissions and surface concentrations of CH4 were higher and more spatially heterogeneous. The measured CO2 fluxes at the air-water interface changed direction depending on the time and location, showing alternating uptake and emissions by the water surface. Mass balances of dissolved CH4 in the surface mixed layer revealed that biochemical reactions and gas evasion were the most significant processes influencing the dynamics of dissolved CH4, and provided new evidence of possible oxic methane production. Our results also suggest that surface CH4 concentrations are higher under more eutrophic conditions, which varied both spatially and temporally.

A review of the impact of hydropower reservoirs on global climate change

Three types of greenhouse gases (GHGs), namely carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emitted from reservoirs have an important but often ignored impact on the climate change. Based on the literature, this paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the long-term impact of GHGs generated by hydropower reservoirs, the systems for monitoring and assessing reservoir GHGs, the mechanism for their generation and key factors involved. Using limnology theory as a basis, the biogeochemical cycle of carbon in the environment is understood to be the main mechanism for generating reservoir based GHG emissions. A summary of relevant research in South American tropical rain forests and the Canada's temperate zone, also shows the extent of current systematic analysis of GHG emission research. Proposals are made for more comprehensive data collection from a wider variety of sources and the key problems identified that need to be solved to provide a theoretical basis for future development policies and practice.

A spherical falling film gas-liquid equilibrator for rapid and continuous measurements of CO2 and other trace gases

Use of gas-liquid equilibrators to measure trace gases such as CO2, methane, and radon in water bodies is widespread. Such measurements are critical for understanding a variety of water quality issues such as acidification due to elevated CO2 or other processes related ecosystem metabolism and function. However, because gas-liquid equilibrators rely on generating sufficient surface area for gas exchange between liquid and gas phases, most traditional equilibrators pass water through small orifices or interstitial spaces that rapidly clog in highly productive or turbid waters, conditions that are common in estuaries, coastal bays, and riverine systems. Likewise, in cold temperatures, such equilibrators are subject to freezing. Both situations lead to failure and limit utility, especially for long term, continuous environmental monitoring. Here we describe and test a gas-liquid equilibrator that relies on a continuous falling film of water over a spherical surface to drive gas exchange. Our results demonstrate that this design is accurate in its ability to equilibrate fully to aqueous CO2 concentrations, is functional across a wide range of gas concentrations, and has a response time that is comparable with other equilibrator designs. Because this equilibrator uses free flowing, falling water to produce a surface for gas exchange, our field trials have shown it to be very resistant to clogging and freezing, and therefore well suited to long term deployment in highly productive waters like estuaries where CO2 concentrations fluctuate hourly, daily, and seasonally. When generated across a spherical surface, the falling film is not adversely affected by tilting off vertical, conditions that are common on a ship, small vessel, or buoy.

Flux of organic carbon burial and carbon emission from a large reservoir: implications for the cleanliness assessment of hydropower

Accurately quantifying the budget of carbon sources and sinks in hydropower reservoirs is important for evaluating the cleanliness of hydroelectricity. However, current research on carbon emissions from reservoirs has rarely taken into account the organic carbon (OC) buried in sediment. Only greenhouse gas emissions from the water-air interface at reservoirs have been examined, which would result in an overestimation of the greenhouse effect of reservoirs. In November 2017, this study investigated the distribution of sediment in the Hongfeng Reservoir (HFR) in southwest China, a typical large hydropower reservoir, by using an underwater seismology monitoring system. We estimated the flux of OC into sediment using the results of a sediment survey and a dataset compiled from references. Our results show that, the HFR retained 200,715 t of OC in the sediment since its impounding after dam construction to the sampling year of 2017, when the average burial flux was 3,521 t-C a^-1 (10⁶ g C a^-1) and the modern burial flux was 5,449 t-C a^-1. After excluding the exogenous OC, the modern valid carbon sink of the sediment was 4,632 t per year. Under the current state of the reservoir, taking the modern valid carbon sink value, the carbon emissions from the reservoir's surface, and the discharge water from the dam into consideration, the net carbon sink of the HFR is found to be 1,098.9 t-C a^-1. If the hydroelectricity generated by the reservoir is converted to a carbon sink, then the total net carbon sink becomes 12,972.9 t-C a^-1. This work argues that both reservoir sediment and hydroelectricity are important carbon sinks and both should be included in assessments of the greenhouse effects of reservoirs.

Variability of pCO2 in surface waters and development of prediction model

Inland waters are substantial sources of atmospheric carbon, but relevant data are rare in Asian monsoon regions including Korea. Emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere depend largely on the partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) in water; however, measured pCO₂ data are scarce and calculated pCO₂ can show large uncertainty. This study had three objectives: 1) to examine the spatial variability of pCO₂ in diverse surface water systems in Korea; 2) to compare pCO₂ calculated using pH-total alkalinity (Alk) and pH-dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) with pCO₂ measured by an in situ submersible nondispersive infrared detector; and 3) to characterize the major environmental variables determining the variation of pCO₂ based on physical, chemical, and biological data collected concomitantly. Of 30 samples, 80% were found supersaturated in CO₂ with respect to the overlying atmosphere. Calculated pCO₂ using pH-Alk and pH-DIC showed weak prediction capability and large variations with respect to measured pCO₂. Error analysis indicated that calculated pCO₂ is highly sensitive to the accuracy of pH measurements, particularly at low pH. Stepwise multiple linear regression (MLR) and random forest (RF) techniques were implemented to develop the most parsimonious model based on 10 potential predictor variables (pH, Alk, DIC, Uw, Cond, Turb, COD, DOC, TOC, Chla) by optimizing model performance. The RF model showed better performance than the MLR model, and the most parsimonious RF model (pH, Turb, Uw, Chla) improved pCO₂ prediction capability considerably compared with the simple calculation approach, reducing the RMSE from 527-544 to 105μatm at the study sites.

Spatially Resolved Measurements of CO2 and CH4 Concentration and Gas-Exchange Velocity Highly Influence Carbon-Emission Estimates of Reservoirs

The magnitude of diffusive carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emission from man-made reservoirs is uncertain because the spatial variability generally is not well-represented. Here, we examine the spatial variability and its drivers for partial pressure, gas-exchange velocity (k), and diffusive flux of CO2 and CH4 in three tropical reservoirs using spatially resolved measurements of both gas concentrations and k. We observed high spatial variability in CO2 and CH4 concentrations and flux within all three reservoirs, with river inflow areas generally displaying elevated CH4 concentrations. Conversely, areas close to the dam are generally characterized by low concentrations and are therefore not likely to be representative for the whole system. A large share (44-83%) of the within-reservoir variability of gas concentration was explained by dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll, water depth, and within-reservoir location. High spatial variability in k was observed, and kCH4 was persistently higher (on average, 2.5 times more) than kCO2. Not accounting for the within-reservoir variability in concentrations and k may lead to up to 80% underestimation of whole-system diffusive emission of CO2 and CH4. Our findings provide valuable information on how to develop field-sampling strategies to reliably capture the spatial heterogeneity of diffusive carbon fluxes from reservoirs.

Online dissolved methane and total dissolved sulfide measurement in sewers

Recent studies using short-term manual sampling of sewage followed by off-line laboratory gas chromatography (GC) measurement have shown that a substantial amount of dissolved methane is produced in sewer systems. However, only limited data has been acquired to date due to the low frequency and short span of this method, which cannot capture the dynamic variations of in-sewer dissolved methane concentrations. In this study, a newly developed online measuring device was used to monitor dissolved methane concentrations at the end of a rising main sewer network, over two periods of three weeks each, in summer and early winter, respectively. This device uses an online gas-phase methane sensor to measure methane under equilibrium conditions after being stripped from the sewage. The data are then converted to liquid-phase methane concentrations according to Henry's Law. The detection limit and range are suitable for sewer application and can be adjusted by varying the ratio of liquid-to-gas phase volume settings. The measurement presented good linearity (R² > 0.95) during field application, when compared to off-line measurements. The overall data set showed a wide variation in dissolved methane concentration of 5-15 mg/L in summer and 3.5-12 mg/L in winter, resulting in a significant average daily production of 24.6 and 19.0 kg-CH₄/d, respectively, from the network with a daily average sewage flow of 2840 m³/day. The dissolved methane concentration demonstrated a clear diurnal pattern coinciding with flow and sulfide fluctuation, implying a relationship with the wastewater hydraulic retention time (HRT). The total dissolved sulfide (TDS) concentration in sewers can be determined simultaneously with the same principle.

Particulate organic matter distribution along the lower Amazon River: addressing aquatic ecology concepts using fatty acids

One of the greatest challenges in understanding the Amazon basin functioning is to ascertain the role played by floodplains in the organic matter (OM) cycle, crucial for a large spectrum of ecological mechanisms. Fatty acids (FAs) were combined with environmental descriptors and analyzed through multivariate and spatial tools (asymmetric eigenvector maps, AEM and principal coordinates of neighbor matrices, PCNM). This challenge allowed investigating the distribution of suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM), in order to trace its seasonal origin and quality, along a 800 km section of the Amazon river-floodplain system. Statistical analysis confirmed that large amounts of saturated FAs (15:0, 18:0, 24:0, 25:0 and 26:0), an indication of refractory OM, were concomitantly recorded with high pCO₂ in rivers, during the high water season (HW). Contrastingly, FAs marker which may be attributed in this ecosystem to aquatic plants (18:2ω6 and 18:3ω3) and cyanobacteria (16:1ω7), were correlated with higher O₂, chlorophyll a and pheopigments in floodplains, due to a high primary production during low waters (LW). Decreasing concentrations of unsaturated FAs, that characterize labile OM, were recorded during HW, from upstream to downstream. Furthermore, using PCNM and AEM spatial methods, FAs compositions of SPOM displayed an upstream-downstream gradient during HW, which was attributed to OM retention and the extent of flooded forest in floodplains. Discrimination of OM quality between the Amazon River and floodplains corroborate higher autotrophic production in the latter and transfer of OM to rivers at LW season. Together, these gradients demonstrate the validity of FAs as predictors of spatial and temporal changes in OM quality. These spatial and temporal trends are explained by 1) downstream change in landscape morphology as predicted by the River Continuum Concept; 2) enhanced primary production during LW when the water level decreased and its residence time increased as predicted by the Flood Pulse Concept.