#ESR13

Forecasting feedbacks between the climate system and carbon dynamics in lakes and reservoirs under adaptation scenarios.

Host institution

Catalan Institute for Water Research, Spain.

Project description

Lakes and reservoirs play a significant role in the global carbon cycle by modulating the transport of carbon from the continents to the oceans. Apart from storing carbon in their sediments, lakes and reservoirs emit large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHG), mostly carbon dioxide and methane, to the atmosphere.

Interaction between the climate system and carbon dynamics in lakes and reservoirs have been described at local scales, but we miss models that accurately forecast the response of aquatic carbon cycling to changing climate and hydrology at large scales. This project will improve the GLOBALFATE model developed by ICRA to include lake and reservoir carbon cycling, using empirical information available in the literature on the dynamics of carbon dioxide and methane in different temperature and hydrological conditions. Then, the model will be used to forecast the potential feedbacks between carbon emissions (e.g., methane emissions from anoxic hypolimnetic waters in warmer conditions; enhanced carbon emissions during extended droughts) and the climate system.

The forecasts will include adaptation scenarios from the generic ISIMIP adaptation scenarios in ISIMIP3, and other adaptation measures identified in Deliverable D3.1, to which this project will contribute suggesting potential adaptation measures to avoid enhanced carbon emissions from reservoirs under climate change (for instance, control of water levels in reservoirs). The results will be used to explore the implications of the different adaptations scenarios in freshwater-climate system feedbacks.

Secondments

University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 3 months
Marine Institute, Mayo, Ireland. 3 months.

ESR

Daniela Henry

climate system and carbon dynamics in lakes and reservoirs under adaptation scenarios
research in panta de sau