Author : Sèlomè Karen de Lespérance AGUE
Tropical African inland waters remain underrepresented in global GHG estimates. This study thus assessed CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions from Lake Nokoué in Benin through monthly measurements of diffusive and ebullitive fluxes, combined with water and sediment physicochemical analyses. River mouths were identified as major methane emission hotspots, with organic matter enrichment, nutrient availability, and sediment biogeochemistry driving GHG emissions. Lake-wide emissions were estimated at 0.38 ± 0.10 Tg CO₂-eq yr⁻¹, about ~5% of 2015 national GHG emissions, with acadja areas contributing nearly one-third.