Emission of methane from bottom sediments of the Vygosero reservoir

The paper presents the results of studying the distribution of methane in near-bottom waters and bottom sediments in different parts of the Vygozero reservoir, which were identified in accordance with the morphology of the basin and various conditions of bottom sediments formation: South-Eastern area, former flooded bogs, river mouths and the Bobrovoe Lake; Central area, i. e. the Vygozero Lake before flooding; and the Northern region in which currents are influenced by the Segezha River, and which is affected by waste waters from the Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill.
It was found that the methane content in the Vygozero reservoir is comparable to the data for other temperate water bodies. The non-uniform gas distribution is shown (from 0,75 · 10–³ to 1,7 · 10–³ mg/l in bottom water and from 0,1 to 1,2 mg/l in bottom sediments). The highest concentrations were recorded in the South-Eastern region, and the minimum in the Northern region, which is determined by both qualitative composition of organic matter (the fulvate humus in the South-Eastern region, in contrast to the predominance of humic acids in other regions, as well as the higher sulfur content in the sediments of the Northern region) and thermal conditions (the warmer shallow South-Eastern region).
The rate of gas inflow from bottom sediments varied from 6,36 to 14,16 mgCH₄/(m²·day) depending on the region: the maximum was recorded in the South-Eastern part, and the minimum in the Northern part of the reservoir. The total methane flux from bottom sediments was more than 11 tons/day. We proved that the spatial heterogeneity of methane distribution in the reservoir depends on the morphology of the basin, the uneven distribution of river runoff and actual anthropogenic load, and is also largely determined by the history of the reservoir, namely, the burial of organic matter of different genesis during the formation of a new reservoir bed after its flooding.

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