Seasonal patterns in carbon dioxide in 15 mid-continent (USA) reservoirs

Evidence suggests that lakes are important sites for atmospheric CO₂ exchange and so play a substantial role in the global carbon budget. Previous research has 2 weaknesses: (1) most data have been collected only during the open-water or summer seasons, and (2) data are concentrated principally on natural lakes in northern latitudes. Here, we report on the full annual cycle of atmospheric CO₂ exchanges of 15 oligotrophic to eutrophic reservoirs in the Glacial Till Plains of the United States. With one exception, these reservoirs showed an overall loss of CO₂ during the year, with most values within the lower range reported for temperate lakes. There was a strong cross-system seasonal pattern: an average of 70% of total annual CO₂ efflux occurred by the end of spring mixis; some 20% of annual flux was reabsorbed during summer stratification; and the remaining 50% of efflux was lost during autumnal mixing. Net annual flux was negatively correlated with depth and positively correlated with both water residence time and DOC, with the smallest annual CO₂ efflux measured in shallow fertile impoundments. Strong correlations yield relationships allowing regional up-scaling of CO₂ evasion. Understanding lacustrine CO₂ uptake and evasion requires seasonal analyses across the full range of lake trophic states and morphometric attributes.