Response of CO2 and CH4 transport to damming: A case study of Yulin River in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

The growing number of dams in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) make tributaries of TGR into spatially complex and temporally dynamic systems. To assess the influence of damming on the carbon emission in the tributary of TGR, we investigated the spatial heterogeneity of CO2, CH4, organic carbon, inorganic carbon, and evaluated the transport mechanisms of CO2 and CH4 within water column during different TGR operation periods. We found that mean CO2 and CH4 concentrations in water downstream (44.04 and 0.44 μmol L−1 for CO2 and CH4, respectively) were lower than upstream (48.36 and 1.63 μmol L−1 for CO2 and CH4, respectively) in the impoundment period of TGR, which was consistent with the spatial variations of organic carbon. In the drainage period of TGR, the mean CO2 concentration of upstream (58.71 μmol L−1) was significantly lower than that of downstream (88.92 μmol L−1). The higher CO2 concentration downstream was attributed to terrestrial input and higher microbial diversity of the water column, while the lower CO2 concentration upstream was due to the photosynthesis of phytoplankton. Furthermore, low CH4 concentrations (less than 0.1 μmol L−1) of both upstream and downstream were detected in the drainage period. Based on results of 16s rRNA sequencing, quantitative PCR, and functional prediction, it was indicated that aerobic CH4 oxidation predominantly in the bottom water layer reduced CH4 of the water column in drainage period. Our results expand the theory of CO2 and CH4 transport within the water column in complex river systems and provide theoretical references for the distribution of carbon in the dammed tributaries of TGR. [Display omitted] •The spatial heterogeneity of carbon was studied in a dammed tributary of TGR.•The spatial variation of CO2 and CH4 varied according to TGR operation periods.•Spatial variation of GHG was consistent with organic carbon in impoundment period.•Photosynthesis of phytoplankton reduced upstream CO2 in drainage period.•Downstream region was a potential GHG source in drainage period of TGR.