Cited by 28Atmospheric and Environmental Gas DynamicsPeatlands and Wetlands EcologySoil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics

The Importance of Ditches and Canals in Global Inland Water CO 2 and N 2 O Budgets

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Silverthorn, Teresa, Audet, Joachim, Evans, Chris D., van der Knaap, Judith, Kosten, Sarian, Paranaíba, José, Struik, Quinten, Webb, Jackie +3 more·2025·Global Change Biology

Abstract

Ditches and canals are omitted from global budgets of inland water emissions, despite research showing them to be emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Here, we synthesize data across climate zones and land use types to show, for the first time, that global ditches emit notable amounts of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Ditches had higher per‐area emissions of CO 2 and N 2 O than ponds, lakes, and reservoirs, likely due to high nutrient inputs. Preliminary upscaling showed that the inclusion of ditches would increase global inland water CO 2 emissions by 0.6%–1% and N 2 O emissions by 3%–9%. Trophic state and climate influenced N 2 O emissions, while CO 2 emissions had complex drivers difficult to disentangle at the global scale. This research highlights the importance of including ditches in global inland water GHG budgets and informs more accurate reporting of anthropogenic emissions in national inventories.

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Crossref · 10.1111/gcb.70079

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  • At the global scale, ditch CO2 emissions are estimated at 30 Tg C yr-1.

    “At the global scale, ditch CO 2 emissions are estimated at 30 Tg C yr -1 177 .”

    From Lines in the landscape (2025) · cites this paper as [177]

  • Although there is continued uncertainty in the magnitude and timing of ditch N2O emissions, and their importance at landscape scales, the global ditch emission is 0.03 Tg N yr-1.

    “Although there is continued uncertainty in the magnitude and timing of ditch N 2 O emissions, and their importance at landscape scales (i.e., when compared to terrestrial emissions), the global ditch emission is 0.03 Tg N yr -1 177 .”

    From Lines in the landscape (2025) · cites this paper as [177]

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Forster, P., T. Storelvmo, K. Armour, et al. 2021. “ Chapter 7: The Earth's Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks, and Climate Sensitivity Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis.” In Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1017. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/9781009157896.009. · DOI · Paper page
  2. Lovelock, C. E., C. Evans, N. Barros, et al. 2019. Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (Chapter 7: Wetlands). IPCC.
  3. Silverthorn, T. 2025. The Importance of Ditches and Canals in Global Inland Water CO2 and N2O Budgets [Dataset]. Zenodo. 10.5281/zenodo.14753050. PMC11886762 40052293 · DOI

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Authors
Silverthorn, T., Audet, J., Evans, C. D., van der Knaap, J., Kosten, S., Paranaíba, J., Struik, Q., Webb, J., Wu, W., Yan, Z., & Peacock, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Liverpool (GB)
  • Aarhus University (DK)
  • UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB)
  • Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences Radboud University Nijmegen the Netherlands
  • Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
  • University of Southern Queensland (AU)
  • University of Waterloo (CA)
  • Tianjin University (CN)
Corresponding author
Silverthorn, Teresa
Venue
Global Change Biology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2025-03
Volume
31
Issue
3
Pages
e70079-e70079
ISSN
  • 1354-1013 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2486
OpenAlex
W4408246513
Cited by
28
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 12
FWCI
11.50
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Global Change Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) (acceptedVersion)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Research England
  • Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas (2020‐00950, 2022‐02138)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Keywords
ditches, canals, CO2 emissions, nitrous oxide emissions, nutrient inputs, trophic state, climate effects on emissions, anthropogenic emission inventories, upscaling
MeSH terms
Greenhouse Gases, Carbon Dioxide, Environmental Monitoring, Nitrous Oxide

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