Dramatic temporal variations in methane levels in black bloom prone areas of a shallow eutrophic lake.

Abstract Global lakes serve as a key natural source of methane (CH4) and suffer from increasing hypoxia due to unprecedented anthropogenic activities and climate change. A black bloom is a temporary hypoxia triggered by a longstanding algal bloom, which facilitates CH4 production by creating reducing conditions and abundant algae-sourced organic carbon. One-year investigations were conducted to examine temporal CH4 dynamics in the water and sediment pore water in black bloom prone areas (BBPAs) in Lake Taihu, China, where there had been at least two recorded black bloom events. The CH4 in the water changed significantly with time (p