Increased nitrous oxide emissions from global lakes and reservoirs since the pre-industrial era

• Published in: Nature communications 2024-01, Vol.15 (1), p.942-11, Article 942
• Main Authors: Li, Ya, Tian, Hanqin, Yao, Yuanzhi, Shi, Hao, Bian, Zihao, Shi, Yu, Wang, Siyuan, Maavara, Taylor, Lauerwald, Ronny, Pan, Shufen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 704/106/47/4112; 704/47/4112; Emission inventories; Emissions; Environmental changes; Environmental Sciences; Farm buildings; Greenhouse gases; Humanities and Social Sciences; Inland waters; Lakes; multidisciplinary; Nitrogen; Nitrous oxide; Reservoirs; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45061-0

Lentic systems (lakes and reservoirs) are emission hotpots of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a potent greenhouse gas; however, this has not been well quantified yet. Here we examine how multiple environmental forcings have affected N 2 O emissions from global lentic systems since the pre-industrial period. Our results show that global lentic systems emitted 64.6 ± 12.1 Gg N 2 O-N yr −1 in the 2010s, increased by 126% since the 1850s. The significance of small lentic systems on mitigating N 2 O emissions is highlighted due to their substantial emission rates and response to terrestrial environmental changes. Incorporated with riverine emissions, this study indicates that N 2 O emissions from global inland waters in the 2010s was 319.6 ± 58.2 Gg N yr −1 . This suggests a global emission factor of 0.051% for inland water N 2 O emissions relative to agricultural nitrogen applications and provides the country-level emission factors (ranging from 0 to 0.341%) for improving the methodology for national greenhouse gas emission inventories. Modeling shows that N 2 O emissions from global lakes and reservoirs have doubled since the pre-industrial era, this was mainly caused by widespread agricultural nitrogen application.