Limnological dynamics of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a tropical hypertrophic reservoir lake

Abstract

Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from tropical freshwater ecosystems have been understudied, particularly in terms of their interaction with limnological dynamics, their cycling, and the emission mechanisms of CH4. To help reduce that knowledge gap, this study addressed these processes in Valle de Bravo (VB), a tropical (19° 11. 65′ N) reservoir lake, that provides water supply to Mexico City metropolitan area. CH4 and CO2 concentrations and emissions from VB were measured during four field campaigns distributed along the annual limnological cycle of the reservoir. Dissolved CH4 concentration varied over four orders of magnitude (0.015–176.808 μmol L−1), and dissolved CO2 varied from below atmospheric saturation (15.062 μmol L−1) to 10 times that concentration (219.505 μmol L−1). CH4 fluxes ranged from 23.25 to 1220.80 μmol m−2 day−1, while CO2 fluxes ranged from −60.11 to 254.99 mmol m−2 day−1. Seasonal monitoring also allowed the assessment of the annual emissions as well as the greenhouse gas (GHG) storage during thermal stratification, which accounted for >58% of the total GHG annual emissions from VB. Overall, VB is a source of GHG, and its major contribution is the CH4 released during the autumn overturn.