A new modelling framework to assess biogenic GHG emissions from reservoirs: The G-res tool

Human-made reservoirs are now recognized as potentially significant sources of greenhouse gases, comparable to other anthropogenic sources, yet efforts to estimate these reservoir emissions have been hampered by the complexity of the underlying processes and a lack of coherent budgeting approaches. Here we present a unique modelling framework, the G-res Tool, which was explicitly designed to estimate the net C footprint of reservoirs across the globe. The framework involves the development of statistically robust empirical models describing the four major emission pathways for carbon-based greenhouse gases (GHG) from reservoirs: diffusive CO2 and CH4 emissions, bubbling CH4 emissions from the reservoir surface, and CH4 emissions due to degassing downstream the reservoir, based on an extensive meta-analysis of published data from the past three decades. These empirical models allow the prediction of reservoir-specific emissions, how they may shift over time and account for naturally occurring GHG generating pathways in aquatic networks.

Automated summary

Human-made reservoirs are significant sources of greenhouse gases, but estimating their emissions has been challenging. The G-res Tool provides a unique modelling framework to accurately estimate the net carbon footprint of reservoirs globally, predicting emissions changes over time while accounting for natural GHG pathways in aquatic networks.