Role of turbines in the carbon dioxide emissions from two boreal reservoirs, Québec, Canada

The potential for degassing of carbon dioxide stemming from the passage of water through turbines of hydroelectric reservoirs was studied in two boreal reservoirs (La Grande 2 and La Grande 3) located in the James Bay region of Québec, Canada. Samples of dissolved CO2 were taken monthly over a period of 1 year from the main reservoirs, within the hydroelectric facilities from the shaft entering the turbine system and from the exits below the facilities. Diffusive fluxes from the reservoir surfaces were calculated using the thin boundary layer equation. The differences between CO2 concentrations above and below the dams were used to calculate the amount of degassing per unit of water turbined. Diffusive flux calculations indicated that the reservoirs acted as sources of CO2 to the atmosphere throughout the sampling period, with fluxes ranging between 80 and 1800 mg CO2 m−2 d−1 at LG2 and between 400 and 1500 mg CO2 m−2 d−1 at LG3. Degassing calculated from turbining ranged between 5–45 and 5–25 t d−1 at LG2 and LG3, respectively, and represented between