Browsing by Author "Zhang, Huizhong"

Lakes play an important role in both global and regional carbon cycling, especially, the role of lakes is pronounced in the boreal zone, where lakes cover up to 20% of the land area. Allochthonous carbon is discharged mainly from terrestrial processes, but also through anthropogenic eutrophication. The role of allochthonous carbon load in lacustrine ecosystems is important, which can have far-reaching effects on lacustrine biogeochemistry in general and especially on carbon cycling. Part of dissolved organic carbon is transformed to carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in biological processes that result in carbon gas concentrations in water that increase above atmospheric equilibrium, thus making boreal lakes serve as sources of the important greenhouse gases. Lake Vesijärvi is renowned for its clear-water, but it has suffered eutrophication for a long history. The severely affected Enonslkä lake basin is the most eutrophic part since it surrounded mainly by urban area (28%) and forests (31%). To improve the water quality, large scale aeration in the autumn 2009 was started with the Mixox-oxygenerators. Aeration is used to weaken thermal stratification and recharge oxygen by increasing vertical flow circulation within the water columns. This leads to most chemical cocnetrations become more homogenous with depth and concentrations of reduced forms decrease in the hypolimnion. The aeration units were operated on campaign basis in summer 2013. One aim here was to investigate carbon gas concentrations and fluxes from the urban boreal lake basin, and examine the impacts of artificial aeration on greenhouse gases during the open water period in 2013. Besides CO2 and CH4 concentrations and fluxes, I measured also the water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration of the water columns for monitoring the efficiency of artificial aeration. All gas samples were analyzed at the Lammi Biological Station of University of Helsinki with gas chromatography using the head space technique. As background data I used the information on temperature and oxygen profiles collected from the measuring platform on Lake Vesijärvi, and a reference study on CO2 and CH4 concentrations and fluxes dating back to 2005 when there was no aeration going on. In 2013, the studied lake basin was a source of CO2 to the atmosphere during the open water period, although the lake basin showed uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere for short times. The lake acted as a steady source of CH4 to the atmosphere throughout the measuring period. The mean CO2 flux was 34.1 mmol m-2 d-1, which was over 2.5 times higher than in the reference year 2005 when there was no the aeration yet. During the campaigns, the CO2 fluxes were higher from aerated than non-aerated water column and from the longer aerations as well. Therefore, aeration mixed stratified water columns and thus enhanced release of gases such as CO2 from surface water to the atmosphere. The mean CH4 flux was 0.2 mmol m-2 d-1. The CH4 fluxes from the Enonselkä basin were slightly decreased in 2013. These decreased CH4 fluxes in Enonselkä basin can be attributed to the limited CH4 production and high rate of CH4 oxidation in the oxygenated hypolimnion and surface of sediment. The daily CH4 fluxes fluxes during the long time aerated operations decreased. The significance of aeration to carbon cycling processes dpended on the residual CH4 concentrations in the water column.