Carbon dioxide (CO2) evasion from inland waters is a significant component of the global carbon cycle. This study investigates how global change affects CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters over the past three decades. A substantial decrease in CO2 emissions was observed, from 138 ± 31 Tg C yr⁻¹ in the 1980s to 98 ± 19 Tg C yr⁻¹ in the 2010s. This decline is attributed to factors including the conversion of free-flowing rivers to reservoirs and widespread reforestation. However, increasing CO2 emissions were detected in the Tibetan Plateau, possibly due to increased organic carbon delivery and expanded surface area from climate change. The study highlights the significant offsetting effect of CO2 emissions from Chinese inland waters on the terrestrial carbon sink and their crucial role in China's carbon budget.

Lishan Ran, David E. Butman, Tom J. Battin, Xiankun Yang, Mingyang Tian, Clément Duvert, Jens Hartmann, Naomi Geeraert, Shaoda Liu