Depth-resolved carbon dioxide and methane concentrations in 522 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide

Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs (hereafter: "lakes") are important sources of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and methane (CH<sub>4</sub>). Emissions of CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> from lakes are regulated in part by in-lake processes, including the production and storage of gases in the lower parts of the water column (bottom waters). However, while substantial efforts have been made to improve estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from lakes, limited data on gas concentrations along depth profiles have prevented the incorporation of bottom-water processes in global emission estimates. Here, we present GHG-depths: the largest existing dataset of depth-profile CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> measurements worldwide, including 522 lakes across 38 countries and all seven continents. These data include contributions from 45 research teams and 56 published studies, totaling 2558 discrete sampling events. As global change continues to alter biogeochemical cycling in lakes, these data can help improve mechanistic models to better predict greenhouse gas production and emission from lakes worldwide.

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Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Data
Published
2026-02-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06751-0
Primary Topic
Marine and coastal ecosystems
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Depth-resolved carbon dioxide and methane concentrations in 522 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide

Elisa Calamita, Camilla Capelli, Matthias Koschorreck, Jakob Zopfi et al.
Scientific Data
Marine and coastal ecosystems
article

Depth-resolved carbon dioxide and methane concentrations in 522 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide

Elisa Calamita, Camilla Capelli, Matthias Koschorreck, Jakob Zopfi, Sari Juutinen, Kenji Tsuchiya, Ingeborg Bussmann, Rachel M. Pilla, Maciej Bartosiewicz, Adrianna Gorsky, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Daniele Nizzoli, Jonas Stage Sø, Sofia D'Ambrosio, Saskia Läubli, Phillip W. Ford, Pertti J. Martikainen, Pirkko Kortelainen, Patrick Aurich, Bradford Sherman, Armando Sepulveda‐Jauregui, Tuula Larmola, Meredith A. Holgerson, Arianto Budi Santoso, Blaize A. Denfeld, César Ordóñez, Vilmantas Préskienis, Brittni L. Bertolet, S. B. Cadieux, Bridget R. Deemer, Joseph S. Rabaey, Joachim Jansen, Carsten J. Schubert, Taija Saarela, Stephen A. McCord, Katherine J. Stenehjem, Liu Liu, Tomoya Iwata, Katrin Attermeyer, Jorge Juan Montes-Pérez, Mike Peacock, Brian J. Huser, Abigail S. L. Lewis, Werner Eckert, Isabelle Laurion, Sheel Bansal, David P. Hamilton, Katrin Wendt-Potthoff, Carmen Cillero, Anna Matoušů, Alo Laas, Kristin E. D. Strock, M. F. Lehmann, Tenna Riis, Theis Kragh, Francois Clayer, Petr Znachor, Chiara Esposito, Natalie A. Griffiths, Stuart E. Jones, Cayelan C. Carey, Hans-Peter F. Grossart, Thomas A. Davidson, Junbing Pu
article en

Abstract

Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs (hereafter: "lakes") are important sources of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and methane (CH<sub>4</sub>). Emissions of CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> from lakes are regulated in part by in-lake processes, including the production and storage of gases in the lower parts of the water column (bottom waters). However, while substantial efforts have been made to improve estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from lakes, limited data on gas concentrations along depth profiles have prevented the incorporation of bottom-water processes in global emission estimates. Here, we present GHG-depths: the largest existing dataset of depth-profile CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> measurements worldwide, including 522 lakes across 38 countries and all seven continents. These data include contributions from 45 research teams and 56 published studies, totaling 2558 discrete sampling events. As global change continues to alter biogeochemical cycling in lakes, these data can help improve mechanistic models to better predict greenhouse gas production and emission from lakes worldwide.

Scientific DataVol. 13(1)
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US), Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (CA), University of Geneva (CH), Griffith University (AU), Yunnan Normal University (CN), Dickinson College (US), Uppsala University (SE), University of Parma (IT), Chongqing Normal University (CN), Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FI), United States Geological Survey (US), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU), University of Vienna (AT), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Massachusetts Lowell (US), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (DE), University of Liverpool (GB), University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (CH), Stockholm University (SE), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US), University of Eastern Finland (FI), University of Potsdam (DE), University of Southern Denmark (DK), University of Basel (CH), University of Konstanz (DE), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE), National Institute for Environmental Studies (JP), Aarhus University (DK), Cornell University (US), Finnish Environment Institute (FI), Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NO), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), Natural Resources Institute Finland (FI), Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (CA), Reservoir Labs (United States) (US), Wasser Cluster Lunz (AT), University of Minnesota, Duluth (US), Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (DE), Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences (PL), Institute of Hydrobiology (UA), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IL), National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia (ID), Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (US), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (CH), University of Yamanashi (JP), University of Tübingen (DE), Universidad de Málaga (ES), University of California, Davis (US), Virginia Tech (US), Grand Valley State University (US)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Department of Energy, Battelle, National Geographic Society, Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network, UT-Battelle, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Eesti Teadusagentuur, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Vetenskapsrådet, Suomen Ympäristökeskus, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Science, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Biological and Environmental Research, Water Power Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Openalex Percentile: Top 56%
Marine and coastal ecosystems
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