Carbon dioxide and methane fluxes in the littoral zones of two lakes, east Antarctica

Abstract During the summertime of 2007/2008, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) fluxes across air–water interface were investigated in the littoral zones of Lake Mochou and Lake Tuanjie , east Antarctica, using a static chamber technique. The mean fluxes of CO 2 and CH 4 were −70.8 mgCO 2  m −2  h −1 and 144.6 μgCH 4  m −2  h −1 , respectively, in the littoral zone of Lake Mochou ; The mean fluxes were −36.9 mgCO 2  m −2  h −1 and 109.8 μgCH 4  m −2  h −1 , respectively, in the littoral zone of Lake Tuanjie . Their fluxes showed large temporal and spatial dynamics. The CO 2 fluxes showed a significantly negative correlation with daily total radiation (DTR) and a weakly negative correlation with air temperature and water temperature, indicating that sunlight intensity controlled the magnitude of CO 2 fluxes from the open lakes. The CH 4 fluxes significantly correlated with local air temperature, water table and total dissolved solids (TDS), indicating that they were the predominant factors influencing CH 4 fluxes. Summertime CO 2 budgets in the littoral zones of Lake Mochou and Lake Tuanjie were estimated to be −152.9 gCO 2  m −2 and −79.7 gCO 2  m −2 , respectively, and net CH 4 emissions were estimated to be 312.3 mgCH 4  m −2 and 237.2 mgCH 4  m −2 , respectively. Our results show that shallow, open, alga-rich lakes might be strong summertime CO 2 absorbers and small CH 4 emitters during the open water in coastal Antarctica.

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