Greenhouse gas emissions from soils—A review

Soils act as sources and sinks for greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Since both storage and emission capacities may be large, precise quantifications are needed to obtain reliable global budgets that are necessary for land-use management (agriculture, forestry), global change and for climate research. This paper discusses exclusively the soil emission-related processes and their influencing parameters. It reviews soil emission studies involving the most important land-cover types and climate zones and introduces important measuring systems for soil emissions. It addresses current shortcomings and the obvious bias towards northern hemispheric data.When using a conservative average of 300 mg CO₂e m⁻² h⁻¹ (based on our literature review), this leads to global annual net soil emissions of ≥350 Pg CO₂e (CO₂e = CO₂ equivalents = total effect of all GHG normalized to CO₂). This corresponds to roughly 21% of the global soil C and N pools. For comparison, 33.4 Pg CO₂ are being emitted annually by fossil fuel combustion and the cement industry.     

Black carbon and organic carbon emissions from wildfires in Mexico

In Mexico, approximately 7650 wildfires occur annually, affecting 263 115 hectares of land. In addition to their impact on land degradation, wildfires cause deforestation, damage to ecosystems and promote land use change; apart from being the source of emissions of toxic substances to the environment (i.e., hydrogen cyanide, black carbon and organic carbon). Black carbon is a short-lived greenhouse pollutant that also promotes snow and ice melting and decreased rainfall; it has an estimated global warming potential close to 5000.¹ We present an estimate of the black carbon and organic carbon emissions from wildfires in Mexico from 2000 to 2012 using selected emission factors from the literature and activity data from local agencies. The results show average emissions of 5955 Mg/yr for black carbon and 62 085 Mg/yr for organic carbon. Black carbon emissions are estimated to be 14 888 Gg CO₂ equivalent (CO₂ eq) per year on average. With proper management of wildfires, such emissions can be mitigated. Moreover, improved air quality, conservation of ecosystems, improvement of visibility and maintenance of land use are a subset of the related co-benefits. Mitigating forest organic carbon emissions, which are ten times higher than black carbon emissions, would also prevent the morbidity and mortality impacts of toxic organic compounds in the environment.     

Deforested Mangroves Affect the Potential for Carbon Linkages between Connected Ecosystems

Mangrove forests are important sinks and sources of carbon especially for connections to coral reefs and seagrass beds. However, they are increasing under threat from anthropogenic influences. We investigated correlations between carbon fluxes from the sediment and water column in deforested and intact mangroves. Our findings show that deforestation has a negative effect on sediment organic carbon storage and CO₂ fluxes. However, species richness and density showed a positive correlation with sediment organic carbon storage and CO₂ fluxes. An increased density of saplings showed a positive relationship with dissolved inorganic and organic carbon draining the mangrove forest at high tide. This research offers insights into the importance of the key forest characteristics influencing the storage and fluxes of carbon. Alterations in mangrove carbon stocks and retention may affect connected ecosystems.     

Sources of variation in δC of fossil fuel emissions in Salt Lake City,USA

The isotopic composition of fossil fuels is an important component of many studies of C sources and sinks based on atmospheric measurements of CO₂. In C budget studies, the isotopic composition of crude petroleum and CH₄ are often used as a proxy for the isotopic composition of CO₂ emissions from combustion. In this study, the C isotope composition (δ¹³C) of exhaust from the major fossil fuel emission sources in Salt Lake City, USA, was characterized with 159 measurements of vehicle exhaust of various types and eight measurements of residential furnace exhaust. These two sources were found to be isotopically distinct, and differed from global-scale estimates based on average values for crude petroleum and CH₄. Vehicle-specific factors such as engine load and operation time had no effect on δ¹³C of vehicle exhaust. A small difference was found between the mean δ¹³C of vehicle exhaust collected randomly from different vehicles and the mean δ¹³C of gasoline collected from multiple fueling stations representing major gasoline distributors in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area. However, a paired comparison of δ¹³C of exhaust and gasoline for six different vehicles did not show any consistent C isotope fractionation during vehicle combustion. The mean δ¹³C of crude petroleum processed for local distribution differed slightly from refined gasoline collected at multiple fueling stations, but time lags between processing and transportation cannot be ruled out as an uncontrollable contributing factor. Measured isotope ratios were then combined with fuel consumption statistics to predict the annual cycle of δ¹³C of fossil fuel emissions for the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The results showed that the isotopic composition of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion varied by almost 3‰ over the course of the 2002 calendar year. This study illustrates that on a regional scale, the isotopic composition of fossil fuel emissions shows a high degree of both spatial and temporal variability that may influence characterization of C sources and sinks with atmospheric measurements.     

The acid rain/carbon dioxide threat — Control strategies

Many of the world's most troublesome problems are closely interrelated. A case in point is the acid rain/carbon dioxide threat. Acid rain is the commonly used synonym for the major ingredients in the ongoing regional forest dieback, and carbon dioxide is a major influencing factor in the man-induced global geophysical experiment which is feared to lead to unacceptable climatic changes. Both problems have a major common cause, namely the squanderous use of fossil fuels. For this the most effective short-term preventive control measure is the reduction of fossil fuel combustion through more efficient use which drastically reduces the pollution output by minimizing the need of having to burn fossil fuels in the first place. However, the large differences in the quantity of the emissions involved (some 20 000 million tons of CO₂/yr. and about 130 and 50 million tons of SO₂ and NO_x, respectively) ingredients of acid rain, can be stripped from the gas stream by technical means which are affordable, the sheer quantity of CO₂ involved renders its sequestering and disposal technically, logistically and economically unfeasible. Through short-term measures the necessary time is gained for a sensible introduction of pollution-free sustainable resources. The long market penetration times (typically 50–100 years) force us to act now, ifwe do not wish to have upon us in the near future a major CO₂/climate problem that is of similar severity as the acid rain/forest dieback problem of today. To my knowledge this is the first attempt to analyse the acid rain/CO₂ problems in their genetic and functional context and to present ways which lead to feasible solutions.     

Milestones in the evolution of the atmosphere with reference to climate change

The history of life on Earth is critically dependent on the carbon, sulfur and oxygen cycles of the lithosphere – hydrosphere – atmosphere – biosphere system. An Archean oxygen-poor greenhouse atmosphere developed through: (i) accumulation of CO₂ and CH₄ from episodic injections of CO₂ from volcanic activity, volatilised crust impacted by asteroids and comets, metamorphic devolatilisation processes and release of methane from sediments; and (ii) little CO₂ weathering-capture due to both high temperatures of the hydrosphere (low CO₂ solubility) and a low ratio of exposed continents to oceans. In the wake of the Sturtian glaciation, enrichment in oxygen and appearance of multicellular eukaryotes heralded the onset of the Phanerozoic where greenhouse conditions were interrupted by periods of strong CO₂-sequestration through intensified capture of CO₂ by marine plants, onset of land plants and burial of carbonaceous shale and coal (Late Ordovician; Carboniferous – Permian; Late Jurassic; Late Tertiary – Quaternary). The progression from Late Mesozoic and Early Tertiary greenhouse conditions to Late Tertiary – Quaternary ice ages was related to the sequestration of CO₂ by rapid weathering of the emerging Alpine and Himalayan mountain chains. A number of peak warming and sea-level-rise events include the Late Oligocene, mid-Miocene, mid-Pliocene and Pleistocene glacial terminations. The Late Tertiary – Quaternary ice ages were dominated by cyclic orbital-forcing-triggered terminations which involved CO₂-feedback effects from warming seas and the biosphere and albedo flips due to ice-sheet melting. Since ca AD 1750 human emissions were ～305 Gt of carbon, as compared with ～750 Gt C in the atmosphere. The emissions constitute ～12% of the terrestrial biosphere and ～10% of the known global fossil fuel reserve of ～4000 Gt C, whose combustion would compare to the ～ 4600 Gt C released to the atmosphere during the K – T impact event 65 million years ago, with associated ～65% mass extinction of species. The current growth rate of atmospheric greenhouse gases and global mean temperatures exceed those of Pleistocene glacial terminations by one to two orders of magnitude. The relationship between temperatures and sea-levels for the last few million years project future sea-level rises toward time-averaged values of at least 5 m per 1°C. The instability of ice sheets suggested by the Dansgaard – Oeschinger glacial cycles during 50 – 20 ka, observed ice melt lag effects of glacial terminations, spring ice collapse dynamics and the doubling per-decade of Greenland and west Antarctic ice melt suggest that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's projected sea-level rises (<59 cm) for the 21st century may be exceeded. The biological and philosophical rationale underlying climate change and mass extinction perpetrated by an intelligent carbon-emitting mammal species may never be known.     

Subsurface sequestration of carbon dioxide — an overview from an Alberta (Canada) perspective

To stabilize the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG), a huge reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is required. Although some people believe that this necessitates a considerable reduction in the use of fossil fuels or fuel switching, other options are available that allow the use of fossil fuels and reduce atmospheric emissions of CO₂. Sequestration of CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion in the subsurface could prevent the CO₂ from reaching the surface for millions of years. Geological sequestration of CO₂ in deep aquifers or in depleted oil and gas reservoirs is a mature technology. Despite the huge quantities of CO₂ that can be sequestered in this way, this approach does not provide any economic benefit. This paper discusses a third option, which consists of injecting CO₂ in deep coal seams to sequester the carbon and enhance the recovery of coalbed methane (CBM). Waste CO₂ from CBM-fueled power plants could be injected into CBM reservoirs to produce more methane (CH₄) for the power plant. The 2:1 coal-sorption selectivity for CO₂ over CH₄ supports the feasibility of operating fossil-fueled power plants without atmospheric CO₂ emissions. Other CO₂ sequestration technologies, such as ocean disposal and biofixation, are briefly discussed and the suitability of these approaches is evaluated for use in Alberta, Canada.     

地质成因的甲烷释放对大气的影响

地质成因自然源的甲烷释放在整个大气甲烷估算中起着非常重要的作用,它既是不含放射性14C甲烷源(死碳源)缺失部分的重要代表,也是甲烷重碳源的重要部分.概述了国内外关于地质成因甲烷释放对大气甲烷源与汇影响的研究进展,详述了来自地质成因化石燃料泄漏的人为甲烷释放以及来自沉积盆地(含油气盆地)、泥火山、地热区、海洋和甲烷水合物的地质自然源甲烷释放对大气甲烷源与汇的贡献及其影响因素;说明由于地质成因甲烷分布的区域性、不均匀性和时空的高度变化性,以及目前地质成因甲烷的通量估算仅建立在区域性的少量甲烷通量测试基础上,造成了地质成因甲烷释放通量估算的高度不确定性;指出研究中国西北地区油气田集聚区的甲烷释放通量,对油气田地质成因甲烷释放通量的估算具有重要意义.     

青藏高原南部及邻区深部碳释放规模与成因

不同构造背景下的深部碳释放通量与机制研究对于深刻理解长时间尺度的气候变化具有重要意义,以往的相关研究多集中在洋中脊、大洋俯冲带和大陆裂谷等地质单元,缺少对大陆碰撞带深部碳释放规模与机理的关注,从而制约了对大陆碰撞带深部碳循环过程及其气候环境效应的进一步认识。青藏高原起源于印度和欧亚大陆的碰撞,是研究大陆碰撞带深部碳循环的理想地区。为此,在近年来青藏高原温室气体释放野外观测与研究的基础上,本文估算了高原南部及邻区火山-地热区的CO₂释放规模并探讨了其释放模式。气体He-C同位素地球化学与温泉水热活动特征等显示,青藏高原南部及邻区的深部碳释放主要受深部岩浆房、断裂和浅部水热系统等因素的控制。依据深部流体源区和上升运移控制因素的差异,可以将青藏高原南部及邻区的深部碳释放划分为三大类：(1)以壳内水热系统脱碳为主的藏南地区;(2)深大断裂控制的以水热系统脱碳为主的川西地区;(3)深部岩浆房和浅部水热系统共同控制的滇西南地区。青藏高原南部土壤微渗漏CO₂释放通量介于18.7～52.3Mt/yr之间,温泉溶解无机碳释放通量约为0.13Mt/yr;高原邻区...     

Effets d'amplification du changement d'usage des terres sur le taux de CO2 atmosphériqueAmplification effect of changes in land use and concentration of atmospheric CO2

A model is presented here, which attempts to determine interactions between change in land use and concentration of atmospheric CO₂ over the 1700–2100 period. The main impact of the conversion of forests to agricultural areas is the increase of atmospheric CO₂ because of the losses of biomass and soil carbon in favour of the atmosphere. This raise will probably increase in the next years, correlated with the proportion of cultivated areas. We show here that this first-order effect is amplified by the correlative decrease of terrestrial sinks of CO₂; in fact, as forests are replaced by cultivated parcels, carbon residence time in biosphere decreases, as well as sequestration ability of these ecosystems. This amplification effect leads to an additional increase in atmospheric CO₂, which could reach 100 ppm in 2100. The uncertainties on the range of such an increase are important since they cumulate both uncertainties on the behaviour (sink or source) of terrestrial ecosystems in the future and inherent uncertainties of the modeling of carbon fluxes linked to changing land uses… Such an additional increase in CO₂ is partially limited by the ocean reservoir and by the existing CO₂ sinks in primary non-anthropologically disturbed ecosystems. The results imply that conservation of primary forests, for which primary productivity and carbon time of residence are high, is an efficient strategy for greenhouse-effect mitigation. To cite this article: V. Gitz, P. Ciais, C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Do we have enough pieces of the jigsaw to integrate CO2 fluxes in the coastal ocean?

Annually integrated air-water CO₂ flux data in 44 coastal environments were compiled from literature. Data were gathered in 8 major ecosystems (inner estuaries, outer estuaries, whole estuarine systems, mangroves, salt marshes, coral reefs, upwelling systems, and open continental shelves), and up-scaled in the first attempt to integrate air-water CO₂ fluxes over the coastal ocean (26×10⁶ km²), taking into account its geographical and ecological diversity. Air-water CO₂ fluxes were then up-scaled in global ocean (362×10⁶ km²) using the present estimates for the coastal ocean and those from Takahashi et al. (2002) for the open ocean (336×10⁶ km²). If estuaries and salt marshes are not taken into consideration in the up-scaling, the coastal ocean behaves as a sink for atmospheric CO₂(−1.17 mol C m⁻² yr⁻¹) and the uptake of atmospheric CO₂ by the global ocean increases by 24% (−1.93 versus −1.56 Pg C yr⁻¹). The inclusion of the coastal ocean increases the estimates of CO₂ uptake by the global ocean by 57% for high latitude areas (−0.44 versus −0.28 Pg C yr⁻¹) and by 15% for temperate latitude areas (−2.36 versus −2.06 Pg C yr⁻¹) At subtropical and tropical latitudes, the contribution from the coastal ocean increases the CO₂ emission to the atmosphere from the global oceam by 13% (0.87 versus 0.77 Pg C yr⁻¹). If estuaries and salt marshes are taken into consideration in the upscaling, the coastal ocean behaves as a source for atmospheric CO₂ (0.38 mol C m⁻² yr⁻¹) and the uptake of atmospheric CO₂ from the global ocean decreases by 12% (−1.44 versus −1.56 Pg C yr⁻¹) At high and subtropical and tropical latitudes, the coastal ocean behaves as a source for atmospheric CO₂ but at temperate latitudes, it still behaves as a moderate CO₂ sink. A rigorous up-scaling of air-water CO₂ fluxes in the coastal ocean is hampered by the poorly constrained estimate of the surface area of inner estuaries. The present estimates clearly indicate the significance of this biogeochemically, highly active region of the biosphere in the global CO₂ cycle.     

Simulation of CO<Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Bold">2</Emphasis> </Subscript> concentrations at Tsukuba tall tower using WRF-CO<Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Bold">2</Emphasis> </Subscript> tracer transport model

Simulation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at hourly/weekly intervals and fine vertical resolution at the continental or coastal sites is challenging because of coarse horizontal resolution of global transport models. Here the regional Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with atmospheric chemistry is adopted for simulating atmospheric CO₂ (hereinafter WRF-CO₂) in nonreactive chemical tracer mode. Model results at horizontal resolution of 27 × 27 km and 31 vertical levels are compared with hourly CO₂ measurements from Tsukuba, Japan (36.05°N, 140.13 ^oE) at tower heights of 25 and 200 m for the entire year 2002. Using the wind rose analysis, we find that the fossil fuel emission signal from the megacity Tokyo dominates the diurnal, synoptic and seasonal variations observed at Tsukuba. Contribution of terrestrial biosphere fluxes is of secondary importance for CO₂ concentration variability. The phase of synoptic scale variability in CO₂ at both heights are remarkably well simulated the observed data (correlation coefficient >0.70) for the entire year. The simulations of monthly mean diurnal cycles are in better agreement with the measurements at lower height compared to that at the upper height. The modelled vertical CO₂ gradients are generally greater than the observed vertical gradient. Sensitivity studies show that the simulation of observed vertical gradient can be improved by increasing the number of vertical levels from 31 in the model WRF to 37 (4 below 200 m) and using the Mellor–Yamada–Janjic planetary boundary scheme. These results have large implications for improving transport model simulation of CO₂ over the continental sites.     

Multi-peril risk assessment for business downtime of industrial facilities

The chemical industry is one of the most important industry sectors in terms of energy consumption and CO₂ emissions in China. However, few studies have undertaken accounting of the CO₂ emissions in the chemical industry. In addition, there are some shortcomings in the traditional accounting method as a result of poor data availability, such as the incomplete consideration of emission sources and overestimation of actual emissions. Based on the traditional accounting method and the actual situation of the chemical industry, this study proposes a method called the Emission Accounting Model in the Chemical Industry, which covers fossil energy-related emission, indirect emission generated by electricity and heat, carbonate-related process emission and the reuse of CO₂. In particular, fossil energy used as feedstock is included. By applying the Emission Accounting Model in the Chemical Industry in China, the calculated CO₂ emissions would be 19–30% less than the result from the traditional method. In addition, it is found that the indirect CO₂ emissions generated by electricity and heat account for 67% of the total amount, the fossil energy-related emissions account for approximately 37%, the process-related emissions accounted for 2%, and reuse of CO₂ accounts for ??6% in 2016. The production of ammonia, ethylene and calcium carbide generated approximately half of the total CO₂ emissions in 2016. In addition, in view of emission sources and carbon source flow, two other bottom-up accounting methods are proposed that can take effect when the chemical plant-level data are available.

     

The nexus between income inequality,economic growth and environmental degradation in Pakistan

This study examines the impact of income inequality and economic growth on environmental degradation in Pakistan using ARDL bounds testing approach for the period 1966–2011. Empirical results for the aggregate CO₂ emissions and its four sources such as CO₂ emissions from solid fuel, liquid fuel and gaseous fuel consumption as well as electricity and heat production confirm the existence of long run co-integrated relationship between income inequality, economic growth and environment degradation. The estimated results indicate that carbon emissions increase as the income gap expands in Pakistan. Besides the negative impact of industrial share and population density on CO₂ emissions, we also confirm that economic growth in Pakistan comes up with higher emissions. Hence, the hypothesis of EKC is not valid for Pakistan during the study period. Our empirical findings are robust as evidenced by dynamic ordinary least squared and the U-tests. Overall, this study suggests that the distribution of income matters to aggregate carbon emissions and focus should be made on sustained economic growth to reduce pollutants and hence CO₂ emission in the study area.     

Carbon Fluxes and Sinks: the Consumption of Atmospheric and Soil CO2 by Carbonate Rock Dissolution

Carbonate rock outcrops cover 9%–16% of the continental area and are the principal source of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transferred by rivers to the oceans, a consequence their dissolution. Current estimations suggest that the flux falls between 0.1–0.6 PgC/a. Taking the intermediate value (0.3 PgC/a), it is equal to 18% of current estimates of the terrestrial vegetation net carbon sink and 38% of the soil carbon sink. In China, the carbon flux from carbonate rock dissolution is estimated to be 0.016 PgC/a, which accounts for 21%, 87.5%–150% and 2.3 times of the forest, shrub and grassland net carbon sinks respectively, as well as 23%–40% of the soil carbon sink flux. Carbonate dissolution is sensitive to environmental and climatic changes, the rate being closely correlated with precipitation, temperature, also with soil and vegetation cover. HCO3- in the water is affected by hydrophyte photosynthesis, resulting in part of the HCO3? being converted into DOC and POC, which may enhance the potential of carbon sequestration by carbonate rock dissolution. The possible turnover time of this carbon is roughly equal to that of the sea water cycle (2000a). The uptake of atmospheric/soil CO2 by carbonate rock dissolution thus plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, being one of the most important sinks. A major research need is to better evaluate the net effect of this sink in comparison to an oceanic source from carbonate mineral precipitation.     

表层岩溶系统中土-气-水界面碳流通的短尺度效应——以贵州茂兰国家喀斯特森林公园的秋季日动态监测为例

在2001年秋季对贵州省荔波县茂兰国家喀斯特森林公园林地、草地植被下土壤CO₂呼吸释放及岩溶表层泉水HCO₃及其^δ13C值的变化进行了日动态的野外监测,表明岩溶系统中土-气-水界面间存在着碳交换的日动态变化以及所伴随的同位素交换的变化,这种变化与土温的日动态有密切的关系。林地植被显示了平抑这种日动态幅度的效应,而草地植被则显示响应于温度变化的较灵敏的动态变化。这种短尺度的变化构成了表层岩溶系统对外界条件的灵敏响应,进一步揭示了在生物作用下岩溶地质作用在碳循环过程及其同位素交换上的灵敏性和动态性。其不同植被系统下的日动态差异在解释岩溶沉积记录和讨论岩溶作用与碳循环时值得充分注意     

Carbon balance of Alaskan tundra and taiga ecosystems: past,present and future

During the Holocene, a great amount of carbon has been stored in the peaty soils beneath the wet coastal tundra at Barrow, Alaska, and in the wet peatlands of the bottomland taiga near Fairbanks, Alaska. On the basis of fossil pollen, plant macrofossil spectra, and present vegetation, an attempt is made to estimate rough carbon budgets for the present and during the last 5000 years at these sites. Carbon capture and carbon accumulation rates have varied cyclically in the past at both sites. However, both tundra and taiga have remained sinks for atmospheric CO₂ through this time. In view of the probable warming of these climates due to increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, future fates of this carbon, now stored in permafrost, are in doubt. Future carbon balances may be quite different from those that have prevailed during the Holocene and at present. These ecosystems may well become carbon sources rather than remain carbon sinks. The use of field and phytotron simulation experiments is suggested as well as the use of mathematical models in attempting to predict the future of these carbon-rich ecosystems in the 21st and 22nd centuries.     

Spaceborne remote sensing of greenhouse gas concentrations

Despite their primary contribution to climate change, there are still large uncertainties on the sources and sinks of the main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). A better knowledge of these sources is necessary to understand the processes that control them and therefore to predict their variations. Indeed, large feedbacks between climate change and greenhouse gas fluxes are expected during the 21st century. Sources and sinks of these gases generate spatial and temporal gradients that can be measured either in situ or from space. One can then estimate the surface fluxes, either positive or negative, from concentration measurements through a so-called atmospheric inversion. Surface measurements are currently used to estimate the fluxes at continental scales. The high density of spaceborne observations allows potentially a much higher resolution. Several remote sensing techniques can be used to measure atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. These techniques have motivated the development of spaceborne instruments, some of them already in space and others under development. However, the accuracy of the current estimates is still not sufficient to improve our knowledge on the greenhouse gases sources and sinks. Rapid improvements are expected during the forthcoming years with a strong implication of the scientific community and the launch of dedicated instruments, optimized for the measurement of CO₂ and CH₄ concentrations.     

Is orogenesis a net sink or source of atmospheric CO2?

In global carbon cycle models, orogenesis is often viewed as a sink for atmospheric CO₂, acting on tectonic timescales. However, recent attempts to quantify fluxes for CO₂ produced by metamorphic reactions and released to the atmosphere suggest that these are an order‐of‐magnitude greater than CO₂ uptake by chemical weathering of silicate minerals, and that metamorphic CO₂ is released on millennial timescales. These hypotheses have gained support from both measurements of CO₂ emissions from present‐day orogenic hot springs and chromatographic modelling of carbonation reactions in metamorphic rocks from ancient orogens. In this article I review research that attempts to quantify metamorphic CO₂ release fluxes, focussing specifically on studies conducted in the SW Scottish Highlands.     

Wood decomposition in Amazonian hydropower reservoirs: An additional source of greenhouse gases

Amazonian hydroelectric reservoirs produce abundant carbon dioxide and methane from large quantities of flooded biomass that decompose anaerobically underwater. Emissions are extreme the first years after impounding and progressively decrease with time. To date, only water-to-air fluxes have been considered in these estimates. Here, we investigate in two Amazonian reservoirs (Balbina and Petit Saut) the fate of above water standing dead trees, by combining a qualitative analysis of wood state and density through time and a quantitative analysis of the biomass initially flooded. Dead wood was much more decomposed in the Balbina reservoir 23 years after flooding than in the Petit Saut reservoir 10 years after flooding. Termites apparently played a major role in wood decomposition, occurring mainly above water, and resulting in a complete conversion of this carbon biomass into CO₂ and CH₄ at a timescale much shorter than reservoir operation. The analysis of pre-impounding wood biomass reveals that above-water decomposition in Amazonian reservoirs is a large, previously unrecognized source of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, representing 26–45% of the total reservoir flux integrated over 100 years. Accounting for both below- and above-water fluxes, we could estimate that each km² of Amazonian forest converted to reservoir would emit over 140 Gg CO₂-eq in 100 years. Hydropower plants in the Amazon should thus generate 0.25–0.4 MW h per km² flooded area to produce lower greenhouse gas emissions than gas power plants. They also have the disadvantage to emit most of their greenhouse gases the earliest years of operation.