Methane storage and ebullition in monimolimnetic waters of polluted mine pit lake Vollert-Sued, Germany

Horn, Christin; Metzler, Philipp; Ullrich, Karen; Koschorreck, Matthias; Boehrer, Bertram

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.151

Cited by 24 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…We would expect slow diffusion between water and gas space because of the small opening of the gas collection vessel and due to low turbulence in the traps. Our own experiences with bubble traps with continuous volume measurements (Horn et al, ) have indicated that exchange was small. Gas loss from control traps has also been shown to be negligible in a study about CH 4 ebullition in a reservoir (Harrison et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen Ebullition From Lakes

Koschorreck

Hentschel

Boehrer

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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The exchange of oxygen between lakes and the atmosphere is assumed to be driven by diffusion. Here we show that lakes can emit significant amounts of O2 by emerging gas bubbles—a process called ebullition. We found very high proportions of 17 ± 10% O2 (maximum 34%) in emerging gas bubbles in two shallow eutrophic reservoirs. In the studied reservoirs, O2 emission by ebullition was of similar magnitude as diffusive O2 fluxes. By reanalyzing previous studies, we show that the process is ubiquitous and probably quantitatively relevant in many places. We present evidence that O2 in bubbles originates both from photosynthetic oxygen production and hence bubble formation in the oxic water and from stripping by emerging methane bubbles. Ebullition can turn lakes undersaturated in respect to the atmosphere into a net O2 source. Neglecting O2 ebullition leads to an overestimation of lake internal respiration.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen Ebullition From Lakes

Koschorreck

Hentschel

Boehrer

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…When CH 4 leaves via ebullition (instead of diffusion across the SWI), less CH 4 is stored in the hypolimnion and diffused across the AOI and more can directly reach the atmosphere (Schmid et al ). In Soppensee, the proportion of CH 4 production leaving via ebullition was higher in 2017 than in 2016 (Table ) and is likely partly caused by the CH 4 concentration accumulation in the bottom waters (Boehrer et al ; Horn et al ). Accumulated CH 4 in the water column effectively reduces the CH 4 gradient between porewater and overlaying water, thus diminishing the diffusive flux at the SWI (Langenegger et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of water column stratification and mixing patterns on the fate of methane produced in deep sediments of a small eutrophic lake

Vachon

Langenegger

Donis

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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Methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, is produced in and emitted from lakes at globally significant rates. The drivers controlling the proportion of produced CH4 that will reach the atmosphere, however, are still not well understood. We sampled a small eutrophic lake (Soppensee, Switzerland) in 2016–2017 for CH4 concentrations profiles and emissions, combined with water column hydrodynamics to investigate the fate of CH4 produced in hypolimnetic sediments. Using a mass balance approach for the periods between April and October of both years, net CH4 production rates in hypolimnetic sediments ranged between 11.4 and 17.7 mmol m−2 d−1, of which 66–88% was stored in the hypolimnion, 13–27% was diffused to the epilimnion, and 6–7% left the sediments via ebullition. Combining these results with a process‐based model we show that water column turbulent diffusivity (K z) had a major influence on the fate of produced CH4 in the sediments, where higher K z values potentially lead to greater proportion being oxidized and lower K z lead to a greater proportion being stored. During fall when the water column mixes, we found that a greater proportion of stored CH4 is emitted if the lake mixes rapidly, whereas a greater proportion will be oxidized if the water column mixes more gradually. This work highlights the central role of lake hydrodynamics in regulating CH4 dynamics and further suggests the potential for CH4 production and emissions to be sensitive to climate‐driven alterations in lake mixing regimes and stratification.

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“…For gas measurements, gas-tight sampling bags (TECOBAG; see Horn et al, 2017) were lowered to the investigation depths and partially filled with water by operating a pump for a short period. Enough remaining bag capacity was retained to accommodate the total amount of gas when bags were recovered and, thus, pressure was reduced to atmospheric level.…”

Section: Water Sampling For Gas Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enough remaining bag capacity was retained to accommodate the total amount of gas when bags were recovered and, thus, pressure was reduced to atmospheric level. Unlike previous implementations of this technique in the lake of Vollert-Sued, Germany (Horn et al, 2017), and Guadiana pit lake, Spain , the pumps were switched on and off by a submersible controller (see Fig. 2).…”

Section: Water Sampling For Gas Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The approach should also be comprehensible and avoid any hidden errors. In conclusion, we modified the sampling method from the gas-charged mining lake of Vollert-Sued (Horn et al, 2017) and the Guadiana pit lake (Sánchez-Espana et al, 2014;Boehrer et al, 2016) for the conditions in Lake Kivu. In addition to methane and carbon dioxide concentration, we also included measurements of dissolved solids in this paper.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reliable reference for the methane concentrations in Lake Kivu at the beginning of industrial exploitation

Boehrer

Tümpling

Mugisha³

et al. 2019

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Dissolved methane in Lake Kivu (East Africa) represents a precious energy deposit for the neighbouring countries, but the high gas loads have also been perceived as a threat by the local population. This is especially the case with respect to potential changes to the lake's stratification during planned industrial exploitation. Both of the above-mentioned issues require accurate and reliable measurements of dissolved gases and temporal changes to take responsible action. Previous data were unable to satisfactorily fulfil these requirements. Prior to our measurements, there was considerable disagreement about prognosticated new formation of methane. We show how measurement accuracy could be significantly improved by implementing equipment that is especially designed and modified for the complex gas conditions in Lake Kivu. Samples were taken from depths of 150 to 430 m to more reliably and more accurately determine the amount of dissolved methane and dissolved carbon dioxide. Beyond the provision of gas concentration profiles at the beginning of exploitation, this investigation can also potentially provide methods to survey the further evolution of gases over time. The use of gas-tight sampling bags produced highly reliable and accurate measurements. Our measurements confirmed the huge amount of stored methane, but clearly did not support the current belief of a significant recharge beyond diffusive loss. Direct measurements with a custom-made gas pressure sensor indicated no imminent danger due to limnic eruptions. However, a further survey of gas pressures is mandatory to detect changing conditions. Using sampling bags and a gas pressure sensor, we introduced reliable and highly accurate measurement approaches for the survey of the further development of gas concentrations. This equipment requires little effort with respect to calibration, which makes it suitable for use in the remote areas of Africa.

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Methane storage and ebullition in monimolimnetic waters of polluted mine pit lake Vollert-Sued, Germany

Cited by 24 publications

References 32 publications

Oxygen Ebullition From Lakes

Oxygen Ebullition From Lakes

Influence of water column stratification and mixing patterns on the fate of methane produced in deep sediments of a small eutrophic lake

Reliable reference for the methane concentrations in Lake Kivu at the beginning of industrial exploitation

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