Spatiotemporal Methane Emission From Global Reservoirs

Inland aquatic systems, such as reservoirs, contribute substantially to global methane (CH4) emissions; yet are among the most uncertain components of total CH4 budget. Reservoirs have received recent attention they may generate high fluxes. Improved quantification these fluxes, particularly their spatiotemporal distribution, is key realistically incorporating them in modeling and budget studies. Here we report on a new global, gridded (0.25° lat × 0.25° lon) study reservoir emissions, accounting for knowledge regarding areal extent emission patterns influenced by diurnal variability, temperature-dependent seasonality, satellite-derived freeze-thaw dynamics, eco-climatic zone. The results this data set comprise daily emissions throughout full annual cycle show that reservoirs cover 297 103 km2 globally emit 10.1 Tg yr−1 (1σ uncertainty range 7.2–12.9 yr−1) from diffusive (1.2 ebullitive (8.9 pathways. This analysis addresses multiple gaps uncertainties previous studies represents an important contribution sets methodologies provide framework better understand model current future role guide efforts mitigate reservoir-related emissions.