Articles | Volume 20, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4057-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4057-2023
Research article
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04 Oct 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 04 Oct 2023

Methane emissions due to reservoir flushing: a significant emission pathway?

Ole Lessmann, Jorge Encinas Fernández, Karla Martínez-Cruz, and Frank Peeters

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Cited articles

Almeida, R. M., Hamilton, S. K., Rosi, E. J., Barros, N., Doria, C. R. C., Flecker, A. S., Fleischmann, A. S., Reisinger, A. J., and Roland, F.: Hydropeaking Operations of Two Run-of-River Mega-Dams Alter Downstream Hydrology of the Largest Amazon Tributary, Front. Environ. Sci., 8, 120, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2020.00120, 2020. 
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Co-editor-in-chief
Lessmann et al. describes how reservoir flushing could represent a novel way to manage methane emissions from freshwater reservoirs. Novel methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are urgently needed as the IPCC recently stated we will need to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere on top of reducing emissions in order to reach important climate goals. This study can help the development of diverse management strategies for mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions.
Short summary
Based on a large dataset of seasonally resolved methane (CH4) pore water concentrations in a reservoir's sediment, we assess the significance of CH4 emissions due to reservoir flushing. In the studied reservoir, CH4 emissions caused by one flushing operation can represent 7 %–14 % of the annual CH4 emissions and depend on the timing of the flushing operation. In reservoirs with high sediment loadings, regular flushing may substantially contribute to the overall CH4 emissions.
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