Methane Concentration and Fluxes in Volga River Reservoirs

The paper presents the results of methane f lux and its concentration measurements in the reservoirs of the Volga cascade: Ivankovskoye, Rybinskoye, Gorkovskoye, Kuybyshevskoye, and Volgogradskoye reservoirs. The article summarizes the materials from the 2017–2023 seasonal observations archive. Measurements of the gas f lux were carried out by the f loating chamber method, the methane concentration determination in the samples was carried out by the headspace method. The spatial and seasonal variability of both methane content and its emissions depending on the coefficient of water exchange, weather conditions, the nature of bottom sediments, and depth was revealed. High values of methane concentration and methane f lux are observed in the presence of stratification, while during vertical mixing, the f lux values decrease significantly. The highest methane f lux values are characteristic of the heavily populated by macrophytes shallow Shoshinskiy reach of the Ivankovskoye reservoir (up to 334 mgC-CH₄/(m² day)), the f looded left bank f loodplain of the Gorkovskoye reservoir (up to 548 mgC-CH₄/(m² day)), where they are associated with weak f low and intra-mold circulation, and also for Chesnava bay of the Rybinskoye reservoir (up to 1086 mgC-CH₄/(m² day)), associated with anthropogenic pollution and low f low rates. In the bays of Kuybyshevskoye and Volgogradskoye reservoirs that receive inflows with increased mineralization, stratification may increase due to density stratification, the formation of zones with oxygen deficit, and increase in methane f lux despite the small amount of organic matter in sediments. The example of the Gorkovskoye reservoir shows the effect of the dam on the spatial structure of methane f lux and concentration. Comparison with generalized data on specific methane f lows from moderate water reservoirs showed that in the Volga cascade, these values are lower in all months of the open water period except August.

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