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Ole Lessmann
Ole Lessmann
Germany

Public Documents 1
Ship waves induce methane ebullition in the littoral zone of a large lake
Ole Lessmann

Ole Lessmann

and 4 more

March 24, 2025
Methane (CH4) ebullition is a major emission pathway in lakes. However, ebullition remains difficult to assess, and data from large lakes are scarce. This study investigates ebullition in the littoral zone of a large lake, demonstrating that ship waves, even after traveling long distances, regularly trigger gas bubble releases from the sediments in shallow waters. Although these ebullitions events occur only during the short time intervals of ship-wave passages, they lead to substantial CH4 emissions. Comparing several littoral sites, we assess the frequency and extent of ship-wave-induced ebullition events and contrast them with ebullition caused by a storm event. Our findings reveal a strong cross-correlation between pressure drops due to ship waves and ebullition fluxes, highlighting ship-wave-induced pressure changes as a significant yet understudied driver of CH4 emissions in lakes. With ship traffic on lakes steadily increasing, understanding ship-wave-induced ebullition is essential for improving estimates of lake-wide CH4 emissions.

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