Magnitude and drivers of integrated fluvial network greenhouse gas emissions across the boreal landscape in Québec

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) 2020-04, Vol.173, p.115556-115556, Article 115556
• Main Authors: Hutchins, Ryan H.S., Casas-Ruiz, Joan P., Prairie, Yves T., del Giorgio, Paul A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic ecosystems; Canada; Carbon; Carbon Dioxide; Greenhouse Gases; Methane; Quebec; River networks
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115556

Streams and rivers are now recognized to be sites of intense carbon (C) emissions, yet the lack of C emission estimates that integrate beyond individual river systems has slowed their inclusion in landscape C budgets. Here we apply empirical models of CO2 and CH4 concentrations and gas exchange continuously along entire fluvial networks to derive the total fluvial CO2 and CH4 emissions in large (3000 to 30,000 km2) watersheds located across the boreal biome of Québec (Canada). We assess how total fluvial network C emissions vary with landscape and climate properties, and compare their magnitude to other components of the landscape C budget. The total fluvial network emissions expressed as per unit watershed area ranged from 0.7 to 29.2 g C m−2 yr−1 for CO2, and 4–1780 mg C m−2 yr−1 for CH4, and neither was related to watershed area or drainage density. Rather, watershed slope and terrestrial net productivity were major drivers of the integrated network fluvial emissions. We also show that steeper watersheds had a greater proportion of emissions relative to downstream export of C from the watershed. Integrated fluvial emissions are of the same magnitude as the terrestrial C sink, yet these two fundamental components of the boreal landscape C budget are not tightly coupled. •Fluvial network emissions per unit watershed area were neither related to watershed area or drainage density.•Major drivers of integrated network fluvial emissions were watershed slope and terrestrial net productivity.•Ratio between emission and downstream export of C from the landscape increases with watershed slope.•Fluvial emissions are of the same magnitude as the terrestrial C sink.