Journal article
Reservoir CO2 and CH4 emissions and their climate impact over the period 1900-2060
Nature geoscience, Vol.15(9), pp.700-705
09/01/2022
Abstract
Reservoirs are essential for human populations, but their global carbon footprint is substantial (0.73-2.41 PgCO(2)-equivalent yr(-1)). Yet the temporal evolution of reservoir carbon emissions and their contribution to anthropogenic radiative forcing remains unresolved. Here we quantify the long-term historical and future evolution (1900-2060) of cumulative global reservoir area, carbon dioxide and methane emissions and the resulting radiative forcing. We show that global reservoir carbon emissions peaked in 1987 (4.4 TmolC yr(-1)) and have been declining since, due largely to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions as reservoirs age. However, reservoir-induced radiative forcing continues to rise due to ongoing increases in reservoir methane emissions, which accounted for 5.2% of global anthropogenic methane emissions in 2020. We estimate that, in the future, methane ebullition and degassing flux will make up >75% of the reservoir-induced radiative forcing, making these flux pathways key targets for improved understanding and mitigation.
Reservoir-induced radiative forcing is increasing globally due to rising methane emissions outweighing declining carbon dioxide emissions, according to modelling based on reservoir surface area observations.
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Details
- Title
- Reservoir CO2 and CH4 emissions and their climate impact over the period 1900-2060
- Creators
- Cynthia Soued - Univ Quebec Montreal UQAM, Dept Biol Sci, UNESCO Chair Global Environm Change, Montreal, PQ, CanadaJohn HarrisonSara Mercier-Blais - Univ Quebec Montreal UQAM, Dept Biol Sci, UNESCO Chair Global Environm Change, Montreal, PQ, CanadaYves T. Prairie - Univ Quebec Montreal UQAM, Dept Biol Sci, UNESCO Chair Global Environm Change, Montreal, PQ, Canada
- Publication Details
- Nature geoscience, Vol.15(9), pp.700-705
- Academic Unit
- Environment, School of the (CAS)
- Publisher
- NATURE PORTFOLIO
- Identifiers
- 99900922133701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article