Large-scale assessment of oxic methane production in lakes using an isotopic mass balance approach

Large-scale assessment of oxic methane production in lakes using an isotopic mass balance approach | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Large-scale assessment of oxic methane production in lakes using an isotopic mass balance approach Jihyeon Kim, Bruno Cremella, Yannick Huot, Yves Prairie This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7889423/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Widespread methane (CH 4 ) supersaturation in lake surface water is a key contributor to natural greenhouse gas emissions. Oxic CH 4 production (OMP) has recently been recognized as a potential CH 4 source, challenging the long-held view that surface CH 4 originates solely from anoxic sediments. Yet most studies are limited to individual systems, leaving broader-scale dynamics uncertain. Here, we apply surface-CH 4 mass balance approaches incorporating CH 4 isotopes across 260 lakes spanning diverse landscapes. OMP accounts for 32% of total surface CH 4 sources on average, at a rate of 1.2 mmol m -2 d -1 , comparable to air-water diffusive CH 4 emissions. Our results provide insight into cyanobacterial photosynthesis as an important contributor to OMP in nutrient-rich lakes at the continental scale. Moreover, OMP exhibits a higher temperature sensitivity than any other surface CH 4 processes, overall indicating its importance for future CH 4 emissions under eutrophication and climate change. Earth and environmental sciences/Limnology Earth and environmental sciences/Biogeochemistry/Carbon cycle Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Limnology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Biogeochemistry/Carbon cycle Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Stable isotope analysis Lake methane greenhouse gases isotope oxic methane production Cyanobacteria Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementInformationsubmit.pdf Supplementary information: Large-scale assessment of oxic methane production in lakes using an isotopic mass balance approach Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7889423","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":533925335,"identity":"54913a08-d6f8-47ab-9853-008d9038880a","order_by":0,"name":"Jihyeon 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Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Lake, methane, greenhouse gases, isotope, oxic methane production, Cyanobacteria","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7889423/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7889423/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Widespread methane (CH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) supersaturation in lake surface water is a key contributor to natural greenhouse gas emissions. 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