Effect of dissolved oxygen on methane production from bottom sediment in a eutrophic stratified lake

Clarifying the role of sulfate and dissolved oxygen (DO) in methane production may allow for precise and accurate modeling of methane emissions in eutrophic lakes. We conducted field observations of sulfate, methane, and DO concentrations in Lake Abashiri, a typical brackish and eutrophic lake in a cold region, to develop a DO-based method for quantitively estimating methane production in a eutrophic lake and analyzed the results. We found that sulfate concentrations decreased rapidly from 900.0 mg/L in water overlying the sediments to nearly 0.0 mg/L in the bottom sediment. Methane production was almost uniform across sediment depths of 0.05 to 0.25 m, ranging from 1400 to 1800 µmol/m²/day. Also, methane production was found to be a function of DO concentrations in water overlying the bottom and could be modeled by a logistic function: constant production at 1,400 µmol/m²/day for DO concentrations of 0.0 to 3.0 mg/L, rapidly decreasing to 0 µmol/m²/day for DO concentrations of 3.0 to 6.0 mg/L. This methane model was verified using a simple one-dimensional numerical model that showed good agreement with field observations. Our results thus suggest that the proposed methane model reduces uncertainty in estimating methane production in a eutrophic lake.

Methane and carbon dioxide cycles in lakes of the King George Island, maritime Antarctica

Freshwater ecosystems are important contributors to the global greenhouse gas budget and a comprehensive assessment of their role in the context of global warming is essential. Despite many reports on freshwater ecosystems, relatively little attention has been given so far to those located in the southern hemisphere and our current knowledge is particularly poor regarding the methane cycle in non-perennially glaciated lakes of the maritime Antarctica. We conducted a high-resolution study of the methane and carbon dioxide cycle in a lake of the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island (Lat. 62°S), and a succinct characterization of 10 additional lakes and ponds of the region. The study, done during the ice-free and the ice-seasons, included methane and carbon dioxide exchanges with the atmosphere (both from water and surrounding soils) and the dissolved concentration of these two gases throughout the water column. This characterization was complemented with an ex-situ analysis of the microbial activities involved in the methane cycle, including methanotrophic and methanogenic activities as well as the methane-related marker gene abundance, in water, sediments and surrounding soils. The results showed that, over an annual cycle, the freshwater ecosystems of the region are dominantly autotrophic and that, despite low but omnipresent atmospheric methane emissions, they act as greenhouse gas sinks.