Spatial and Temporal Correlates of Greenhouse Gas Diffusion from a Hydropower Reservoir in the Southern United States

Emissions of CO2 and CH4 from freshwater reservoirs constitute a globally significant source of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs), but knowledge gaps remain with regard to spatiotemporal drivers of emissions. We document the spatial and seasonal variation in surface diffusion of CO2 and CH4 from Douglas Lake, a hydropower reservoir in Tennessee, USA. Monthly estimates across 13 reservoir sites from January to November 2010 indicated that surface diffusions ranged from 236 to 18,806 mg·m−2·day−1 for CO2 and 0 to 0.95 mg·m−2·day−1 for CH4. Next, we developed statistical models using spatial and physicochemical variables to predict surface diffusions of CO2 and CH4. Models explained 22.7% and 20.9% of the variation in CO2 and CH4 diffusions respectively, and identified pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and Julian day as the most informative predictors. These findings provide baseline estimates of GHG emissions from a reservoir in eastern temperate North America, a region for which estimates of reservoir GHGs OPEN ACCESS