Methane Emission from Lakes and Reservoirs

Organic carbon accumulation in lake sediments results in methane production, which is subsequently released from the sediments into the water column via diffusion or ebullition (bubbling).  Ebullition can be a direct pathway for methane to reach the atmosphere from the sediments, but the processes governing methane ebullition are unknown.  The ultimate goal of this project is to constrain the role of methane emission via ebullition from inland waters.  This project will examine methane emission pathways and fluxes from the sediment to the water column to the atmosphere on various lakes and hydro-electric reservoirs throughout Switzerland and elsewhere.   

Funding

• Eawag, ETH
  

Collaborators

• Werner Eugster, ETH Zurich
  
• Ilia Ostrovsky, Yigal Alon Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel
• Daniel F. McGinnis, Geomar, Kiel