Small mountain ponds high in the tropical Andes may be playing an outsized role in global climate change, according to new research led by scientists at the University of North Carolina.
Small mountain ponds high in the tropical Andes may be playing an outsized role in global climate change, according to new research led by scientists at the University of North Carolina.
The study, conducted in Ecuador’s páramo, a high-altitude grassland ecosystem, found that even tiny ponds can release surprisingly large amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Until now, these remote mountain wetlands have been largely overlooked in global carbon studies.
“Our study shows that the smallest ponds can make a big difference, emitting more carbon than larger waters just meters away,” said Kriddie Whitmore, a recent Ph.D. graduate from UNC who led the fieldwork and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Umeå University in Sweden. “These results highlight the need for increased research focused on small aquatic systems.”
Read more at: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
UNC researcher studies the carbon emissions linked to ponds in Ecuador’s páramo. (Photo Credit: Kriddie Whitmore)
