Aquatic greenhouse gas cycling in the face of global change: refining process-based understanding for enhanced predictive capabilities

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Freshwaters emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG), namely carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Globally, these emissions are equivalent to ~6% of carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and ~33% of that from land use change. Recent evidence suggests that anthropogenic (i.e., human-induced) activities and climate change are exacerbating aquatic GHG emissions, particularly via eutrophication, which is nutrient buildup that leads to excessive algal growth. This production reduces water quality and upon decomposition of it significant quantities of GHGs are produced. The nutrient buildup is typically sourced from fertilizer use in agriculture or wastewater release from urban populations and enhanced by increased runoff due to climate change. Southern Ontario is a populated region with much agriculture, yet little is known about the state of GHGs from Ontario waters. This knowledge is necessary to develop solutions to mitigate the climatic impact of our freshwaters. The goal of my research program is to advance our understanding of how human activities and climate change alter the budgets of all three aquatic GHGs and develop predictive tools for estimating budgets. To do this, I will quantify aquatic GHG emissions and accumulation in a series of lakes from the Waterloo-Kitchener and Toronto areas up to the more uninhabited regions near Algonquin Provincial Park. In addition, our understanding of GHG dynamics under ice is highly limited except that emissions at ice-off are significant. Therefore, I propose to quantify and define under ice GHG dynamics at two lakes at Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC) outfitted with buoys collecting year-round data. The United Nations recently recognized the intimate link between water and climate, urgin nations to pursue climate-friendly water policies. With ~40% of the world's freshwater, Canada can become a leader in water-climate science. The current Federal Sustainable Development Strategy of Canada recommends action on climate change and protection of waterways, but these are mutually exclusive goals and the lakes focused on are mostly large ones. My research will aid Environment and Climate Change Canada in fulfilling their goals by identifying smaller vulnerable systems in other regions using the results from my project and identify policies to manage watershed activities that reduce the climatic impact of our freshwaters. Also, the research I propose here will involve several undergraduate and graduate students who will receive hands-on training in the field and/or laboratory working on water quality, GHG and environmental data and samples. They will gain experience in carbon budgeting, modeling and communicating their research in written and oral media. The technical and soft skills that students in my group will obtain will prepare them for positions within government, industry or academia where they can help advance the environmental agenda of Canada.