image: View of Kariba Lake with the transboundary dam shared between Zambia (left) and Zimbabwe (right). view more
Credit: Image credit: Davide Vanzo (ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland)
A study of carbon dioxide emissions downstream of the hydroelectric Kariba Dam in Zambia finds highly variable emissions on different timescales, with seasonal variations likely due to carbon dioxide buildup in stratified reservoir water and hourly variations--of up to 200%--likely due to dam operation in response to electricity demand during reservoir stratification; the results suggest that failing to account for seasonal or hourly variations in downstream carbon emissions could lead to bias in tropical reservoir emissions by up to 90%, according to the authors.
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Article #20-26004: "Unaccounted CO2 leaks downstream of a large tropical hydroelectric reservoir," by Elisa Calamita et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Elisa Calamita, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, SWITZERLAND; tel: +41 766075451; email: <elisa.calamita@eawag.ch>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences