A previously overlooked source of greenhouse gas emissions is bubbling to the surface in California.
The state is launching a new initiative to track methane and other greenhouse gases released by California’s lakes and reservoirs.
Researchers have known for decades that bodies of water can produce greenhouse gases, but those emissions have not been included in California’s statewide greenhouse gas accounting in the same way as emissions from sources such as cars and landfills.
The main concern is methane, a particularly powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
The process begins underwater. When plants and algae die and decompose, the process can produce methane. That methane can collect in the water and eventually bubble to the surface, where it is released into the atmosphere.
Until now, California’s greenhouse gas inventories have not accounted for these emissions from lakes and reservoirs.
The new initiative is intended to give state officials and researchers a better understanding of how much methane is being released and how significant those emissions could be compared with other sources.
Tracking the emissions could also help California determine whether additional measures are needed to address greenhouse gases coming from the state’s water infrastructure.
As California continues efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, researchers say understanding every potential source — including those bubbling up from beneath the surface of lakes and reservoirs — will be increasingly important.
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