Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from surface waters by climate‐smart water management (DIGS)

Though shallow surface waters are known GHG emission hotspots, the quantification of its GHG emission levels is hampered by the lack of accurate measurements and sound spatial extrapolation methods. As a consequence, climate-smart decision-support tools for surface water management cannot be developed. This is an important caveat, because there is a large potential to reduce GHG emissions from shallow surface waters. The project will tackle this problem by providing a first evidence-based estimate of GHG emissions of shallow inland waters in the Netherlands, and by identifying measures to reduce GHG emission and increase carbon storage in surface waters. To achieve the objective, this project will quantify current emissions and C burial and advance the understadings of key processes driving emissions and burials. The insights of key prosesses of GHG emissions will be used to develop, parameterize, and validate a dynamic prosess-based GHG module for the PCLake+/PCDitch model. The empirical and modelling results will be used to build up climate-smart management tools that can be applied by the water management stakeholders involved in the project. 

DIGS will provide means that will directly contribute to the principal priority of the Dutch government to combat climate change: reduction of Netherlands’ GHG emissions by 49% in 2030, compared to 1990 levels. DIGS is funded by the Open Technology Program of NWO and has a term of four years starting in 2021.