Greenhouse gas fluxes from lakes

The goal of this project is to develop collaborations among US and Norwegian scientists and a research proposal focused on greenhouse gas fluxes from freshwater systems. Lakes are an important source of both carbon dioxide and methane yet we know little about the important drivers of these fluxes. Important research topics that will be addressed in this research include understanding the important role of climate change impacts on lake stratification with implications for both duration and strength of stratification. It is expected that warmer summer conditions are increasing the duration of summer stratification, enabling an increase in the methane fluxes from lakes due to the development of anoxia in the hypolimnion (bottom waters). Another important topic that will be addressed is to increase our understanding of the potential drivers of aerobic methane production in lakes. This process is increasingly recognized as a driver of methane fluxes from surface waters, including the surface oceans.