Data from: Greenhouse gas emissions from reservoir water surfaces: a new global synthesis

Collectively, reservoirs created by dams are thought to be an important source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. Thus far, efforts to quantify, model, and manage these emissions have been limited by data availability and inconsistencies in methodological approach. Here we synthesize reservoir CH4, CO2, and N2O emission data with three main objectives to: 1) generate a global estimate of GHG emissions from reservoirs, 2) identify the best predictors of these emissions, and 3) consider the effect of methodology on emission estimates. We estimate that GHG emissions from reservoir water surfaces account for 0.8 (0.5-1.2) Pg CO2 equivalents yr-1, with the majority of this forcing due to CH4. We then discuss the potential for several alternative pathways to contribute significantly to these emissions. While prior studies have linked reservoir GHG emissions to reservoir age and latitude, we find that factors related to reservoir productivity are better predictors of emission.