CO 2 dynamics in a small and old subtropical reservoir in East Asia: Environmental controls driving seasonal and spatial variability.

Inland waters have been increasingly viewed as hotspots for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions owing to their strong capability to intercept and mineralize carbon from the terrestrial environment. Although small waterbodies in humid subtropical climates have the potential to emit considerable amounts of GHG, their emission patterns have remained understudied. This study involved intensive measurements of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions from a small reservoir and its upstream and downstream reaches located in subtropical Hong Kong. Our results revealed that a variety of metabolic, hydrological, and hydrochemical processes play a critical role in regulating its CO ₂ dynamics. The reservoir was an overall source of CO ₂ to the atmosphere with an average areal flux of 24.6 mmol m ^-2 d ^-1 , and it occasionally functioned as a sink for atmospheric CO ₂ under intense solar radiation when primary productivity was high. This flux is on the low side relative to that of global (sub)tropical reservoirs, which was likely attributable to the prolonged history of the reservoir (>150 years) and the occasional undersaturation of CO ₂ in the water column. We also noticed pronounced differences in the underlying controls of CO ₂ dynamics between the reservoir and its upstream and downstream reaches, emphasizing the importance of taking into account the distinct characteristics of both lentic and lotic waters when evaluating catchment-scale CO ₂ fluxes.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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