Atmospheric CO2 Exchange of a Small Mountain Lake: Limitations of Eddy Covariance and Boundary Layer Modeling Methods in Complex Terrain

Lakes receive and transform significant amounts of terrestrial carbon and are often considered a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Yet, continuous direct measurements of lake-atmosphere CO2 exchange with high temporal resolution are sparse. In this study, we measured the CO2 exchange of a mountain lake in the eastern Austrian Alps continuously for one year using the eddy covariance (EC) and the boundary layer model (BLM) approaches. Results from both the EC and the BLM methods indicated the lake to be a small source of atmospheric CO2 with highest emissions in fall. EC flux measurements were affected by low-frequency contributions especially during low wind conditions. The CO2 concentration gradient at the air-water interface decreased during night-time due to an increase in atmospheric CO2 above the lake, likely caused by cold and CO2-rich air draining from the surrounding land. Consequently, BLM fluxes were lower during night-time than during daytime. This diel pattern was lacking in the EC flux measurements because the EC instruments deployed at the shore of the lake did not capture low nocturnal lake CO2 fluxes due to the local wind regime. Overall, this study illustrates the effect of the surrounding landscape on lake-atmosphere flux measurements. We conclude that estimating CO2 evasion from lakes situated in complex topography needs to explicitly account for biases in EC flux measurements caused by low-frequency contributions and local wind regimes.

Automated summary

Continuous measurement of CO2 exchange at a mountain lake in eastern Austrian Alps for one year showed that the lake is a small source of atmospheric CO2, with highest emissions in fall. Results also illustrated the impact of surrounding landscape on lake-atmosphere flux measurements, emphasizing the need to consider biases caused by low-frequency contributions and local wind regimes in estimating CO2 evasion from lakes in complex topography.