Methane emissions from newly created marshes in the drawdown area of the Three Gorges Reservoir

Abstract

The study aimed to understand the methane (CH4) emission and its controlling factors in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region and to explore its implication for large dams. We measured CH4 emissions from four vegetation stands in newly created marshes in the drawdown area of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China, in the summer of 2008. The results showed highly spatial variations of methane emissions among the four stands, with the smallest emission (0.25 ± 0.65 mg CH4 m−2 h−1) in the Juncus amuricus stand, and the greatest (14.9 ± 10.9 mg CH4 m−2 h−1) in the Scirpus triqueter stand. We found that the spatial variations of CH4 emissions are caused by difference in standing water depth and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Results also showed a special seasonal variation of CH4 emissions in this area, i.e., maximal emissions in early July followed by a low and steady value before the winter flooding. The seasonality of CH4 emissions was found closely related to temperature and standing water depth. Because of the large area of the drawdown zones for global dam reservoirs and a large CH4 emission rate, such newly created marshes should not be neglected when estimating CH4 emissions from reservoirs.