Diel variability of methane emissions from lakes
Anna Sieczko, Nguyen Thanh Duc, Jonathan Schenk, Gustav Pajala, David Rudberg, Henrique O. Sawakuchi, David Bastviken
Abstract
Significance Methane (CH 4 ) emissions from lakes are significant, yet still highly uncertain and a key bottleneck for understanding the global methane budget. Current lake flux estimates do not account for diel variability of CH 4 flux. Here, we apply a high-resolution spatiotemporal measurement approach in multiple lakes and report extensive data on variability between day and night lake CH 4 emissions. Our results demonstrate a clear and consistent diel pattern with more than twofold higher daytime fluxes. We show that it is critical to include diel variability to correctly estimate and extrapolate lake CH 4 flux, and that present northern lake emissions may have been overestimated by 15%.