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Understanding Lake Carbon Cycles

Lead Scientist(s): Dr Christopher T Solomon

Lakes are hotspots in landscape-level carbon cycles, burying or returning to the atmosphere more than half of the carbon that they receive from their watersheds. Furthermore, carbon inputs and within-lake processing can both be significantly altered by anthropogenic environmental change. We are using automated sensor networks, hydrologic and biogeochemical budgets, and models to try to improve understanding of lake carbon cycles and their potential responses to environmental change.