Response of CO2 and CH4 transport to damming: A case study of Yulin River in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

The growing number of dams in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) make tributaries of TGR into spatially complex and temporally dynamic systems. To assess the influence of damming on the carbon emission in the tributary of TGR, we investigated the spatial heterogeneity of CO2, CH4, organic carbon, inorganic carbon, and evaluated the transport mechanisms of CO2 and CH4 within water column during different TGR operation periods. We found that mean CO2 and CH4 concentrations in water downstream (44.04 and 0.44 mu mol L-1 for CO2 and CH4, respectively) were lower than upstream (48.36 and 1.63 mu mol L-1 for CO2 and CH4, respectively) in the impoundment period of TGR, which was consistent with the spatial variations of organic carbon. In the drainage period of TGR, the mean CO2 concentration of upstream (58.71 mu mol L-1) was significantly lower than that of downstream (88.92 mu mol L-1). The higher CO2 concentration downstream was attributed to terrestrial input and higher microbial diversity of the water column, while the lower CO2 concentration upstream was due to the photosynthesis of phytoplankton. Furthermore, low CH4 concentrations (less than 0.1 mu mol L-1) of both upstream and downstream were detected in the drainage period. Based on results of 16s rRNA sequencing, quantitative PCR, and functional prediction, it was indicated that aerobic CH4 oxidation predominantly in the bottom water layer reduced CH4 of the water column in drainage period. Our results expand the theory of CO2 and CH4 transport within the water column in complex river systems and provide theoretical references for the distribution of carbon in the dammed tributaries of TGR.

Automated summary

The study investigates the spatial heterogeneity of CO2 and CH4 and evaluates the transport mechanisms of these gases in the water column of the tributaries of the Three Gorges Reservoir. The results show that CO2 and CH4 concentrations are lower downstream during the impoundment period, while upstream CO2 concentrations are lower during the drainage period. In addition, low CH4 concentrations are detected in both upstream and downstream during the drainage period, primarily due to aerobic oxidation processes.