Semi-arid irrigation farm dams are a small source of greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

Small artificial waterbodies are larger emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) than natural waterbodies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends these waterbodies are accounted for in national emission inventories, yet data is extremely limited for irrigated landscapes. To derive a baseline of their greenhouse gas footprint, we investigated 38 irrigation farm dams in horticulture and broadacre cropping in semi-arid NSW, Australia. Dissolved CO2, CH4, and nitrous oxide (N2O) were measured in spring and summer, 2021–2022. While all dams were sources of CH4 to the atmosphere, 52% of irrigation farm dams were sinks for CO2 and 70% were sinks for N2O. Relationships in the linear mixed effect models indicate that CO2 concentrations were primarily driven by dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonium, and sediment carbon content, while N2O concentration was best explained by an interaction between DO and ammonium. Methane concentrations did not display any relationship with typical biological variables and instead were related to soil salinity, trophic status, and size. Carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions were highest in small (< 0.001 km2) dams (305 g CO2-eq m−2 season−1) and in those used for recycling irrigation water (249 g CO2-eq m−2 season−1), with CH4 contributing 70% of average CO2-eq emissions. However, irrigation dams had considerably lower CH4 emissions (mean 40 kg ha−1 yr−1) than the IPCC emission factor (EF) of 183 kg CH4 ha−1 yr−1 for constructed ponds and lower N2O EF of 0.06% than the indirect EF for agricultural surface waters (0.26%). This synoptic survey reveals existing models may be severely overestimating (4–5 times) farm dam CH4 and N2O emissions in semi-arid irrigation areas. Further research is needed to define these artificial waterbodies in emissions accounting.