Organic carbon getting buried deep: A study on a subtropical reservoir and comparisonwith a chain of reservoirs.

Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are widely known to have damaging effects on the world’s environment. In the search for green energy, recent studies propose that hydropower, which is considered a renewable source of energy, contribute significantly to the emissions of carbon dioxide and in particular methane gas to the atmosphere. Hydropower dams can globally act as an important carbon source, however they can bury substantial amounts of carbon and simultaneously act as net carbon sinks. The main objective of this study is to determine, with high spatial resolution, OC burial in a tropical reservoir, Camargos, Brazil, and compare data with two reservoirs downstream to see if there is any effect of multiple damming. This master’s thesis included field studies in terms of sub-bottom profiling and sediment coring. This was followed by data analysis and mapping of seismic survey data as well as lab work including organic carbon content analysis, C:N ratio and particle size calculations in order to estimate sediment characteristics. The results propose that there is significant burial of organic carbon in Camargos reservoir, of 57.7 g C m-2 yr-1 and 121.3 g C m-2 yr-1 by sub-bottom data and individual coring respectively and evidently, reservoirs further upstream tend to accumulate more sediment and have a higher rate of OC burial. More precisely, the sub-bottom data indicate a steady decrease in OC burial rates of approximately 20%, per dam following the cascade of reservoirs downstream. However, in order to rely on hydropower as a sustainable renewable source of energy to meet the demands of a world wide growing population and economy it is essential to continue studying this topic to fully understand all aspects of the carbon processes within these systems and whether they function as substantial net sinks or sources.Minor field studiesHYDROCARB- European Research Counci