Idiosyncratic phenology of greenhouse gas emissions in a Mediterranean reservoir

Abstract

Extreme hydrological and thermal regimes characterize the Mediterranean zone and can influence the phenology of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in reservoirs. Our study examined the seasonal changes in GHG emissions of a shallow, eutrophic, hardwater reservoir in Spain. We observed distinctive seasonal patterns for each gas. CH₄ emissions substantially increased during stratification, influenced predominantly by the increase in water temperature, net ecosystem production, and the decline in reservoir mean depth. N₂O emissions mirrored CH₄'s seasonal trend, significantly correlating to water temperature, wind speed, and gross primary production. Conversely, CO₂ emissions decreased during stratification and displayed a quadratic, rather than a linear relationship with water temperature—an unexpected deviation from CH₄ and N₂O emission patterns—likely associated with photosynthetic uptake of bicarbonate and formation of intracellular calcite that might be exported to sediments. This investigation highlights the imperative of integrating these idiosyncratic patterns into GHG emissions models, enhancing their predictive power.