Carbon burial and carbon emission dataset of China's lakes
Data files
Jul 30, 2026 version files 1.74 MB
-
Carbon_burial_and_carbon_emission_dataset_of_China_s_lakes.xlsx
1.73 MB
-
README.md
15.20 KB
Abstract
Accurate assessments of lake carbon balance are essential for filling gaps in the global carbon budget and addressing climate change. However, persistent uncertainties arise from an incomplete understanding of intrinsic carbon sequestration and its balance with emission effects. Here, using source fingerprinting techniques, we isolated the autochthonous organic carbon (OCAuto) burial, which represents the intrinsic carbon sequestration of lakes. We found that OCAuto burial accounted for only 53.23% of total lake carbon emissions in the 2020s, leaving China’s lakes as carbon sources (−0.83 teragrams of carbon per year). Regionally, lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateaus have shifted to carbon sinks, whereas lakes in the eastern and northeastern regions remain major carbon sources. Scenario projections indicated that restoring China’s lakes to macrophyte-dominated states under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP2-4.5 scenario could transition them into stable carbon sinks before OCAuto burial peaks around 2070. To facilitate this transition, we proposed a lake classification-and-management framework based on carbon sink potential and emission risks to guide carbon sequestration and climate mitigation efforts.
Carbon burial and carbon emission dataset of China's lakes
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.stqjq2chs
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset compiles extensive measurements and calculated data on carbon burial and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and CH4) from lakes across China. It is intended to support research on the role of China’s lakes as carbon sources or sinks. All lakes are assigned to five major geographic regions, consistently used throughout the file:
EPLR: Eastern Plain Lake Region
YGPLR: Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Lake Region
NPMLR: Northeast Plain and Mountain Lake Region
IMXLR: Inner Mongolia‑Xinjiang Lake Region
QTPLR: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Lake Region
Below are a detailed explanation of the file structure and the content of each worksheet.
Description of the data and file structure
File: Carbon_burial_and_carbon_emission_dataset_of_China_s_lakes.xlsx
This file compiles detailed carbon burial and emission data for Chinese lakes, together with relevant environmental variables and the source data used for the figures. These records are critical for evaluating the lake carbon budget in China. Missing entries are marked as “NA” throughout all sheets. Merged cells and cross-referenced list comments are used to enhance readability and data structure; understanding these conventions is necessary for proper use of the dataset.
Tab1: carbon burial
This tab is the core dataset providing parameters and calculated OCBR for each lake over time.
Lake Regions: Geographic region (as above).
ID: Unique lake identifier.
Lake name: Name of the lake.
Coe ID: Core identifier (likely from original publications).
Long. (°) / Lat. (°): Geographical coordinates.
Area (km2): Lake surface area.
Altitude (m): Elevation.
Depth (m) / Volume (108 m3): Water depth and lake volume.
Temp (℃) / Prep (mm): Mean annual temperature and precipitation.
Dating methods: Sediment dating techniques (e.g., 210Pb, 137Cs).
Sampling time / References: Year of sampling and source reference(s).
Notes: Each row represents a continuous time series for one lake; Years run from 1900 to 2020; Reference numbers correspond to the list at the bottom of the sheet.
Tab2: CO2_emssions
This Tab contains the records CO2 fluxes (FCO2) across the water-air interface for various lakes.
ID: Unique lake identifier.
Lake Regions: Geographic region (as above).
Lake name: Name of the lake.
Long. (°)/Lat. (°): Geographical coordinates.
Sampling time: Year (and sometimes month) when the measurement was taken.
Surface area (km2): Total surface area of the lake at the time of sampling.
FCO2 (mg C m-2 d-1): Milligrams of carbon per square metre per day. Critical sign convention: negative values indicate CO2 uptake from the atmosphere (i.e., the lake acts as a CO2 sink); positive values indicate CO2 release to the atmosphere (i.e., the lake acts as a CO2 source).
FCO2 (g C m-2 yr-1): The same FCO2, converted to grams of carbon per square metre per year for easier comparison with annual carbon burial rates or global estimates.
pH: Water pH.
Water T (℃): Water temperature at the sampling depth/time.
Wind (m s-1): Wind speed (in metres per second) over the lake surface during sampling.
Depth (m): Water depth (in metres) at the exact sampling location.
TOC (mg L-1): Total organic carbon concentration in the water.
DOC (mg L-1): Dissolved organic carbon concentration.
DIC (mg L-1): Dissolved Inorganic Carbon concentration.
DO (mg L-1): Dissolved Oxygen concentration.
Chl-a (µg L-1): Chlorophyll‑a concentration.
NPP (mg C m-1 yr-1): Net Primary Production.
TN (mg L-1): Total Nitrogen concentration.
TP (mg L-1): Total Phosphorus concentration.
Mean depth (m): The average water depth of the entire lake.
Maximal depth (m): The maximum water depth of the lake.
Mean air T (℃): Long-term mean annual air temperature for the lake’s location.
Mean water T (℃): Long-term mean annual water temperature.
Annual precipitation (mm yr-1): Long‑term average annual precipitation for the catchment.
References: source reference(s).
Note: Many columns (especially L, M, N-U) contain missing values because not all studies measured every parameter. When analyzing relationships (e.g., FCO2 vs. temperature or nutrient concentration), be sure to account for these gaps by using only complete-case records for the specific variables of interest. Reference numbers correspond to the list at the bottom of the sheet.
Tab3: CH4_emissions
This Tab contains the records CH4 fluxes (FCH4) across the water‑air interface for various lakes. Read and interpret exactly as for the Tab2 (CO2_emssions).
Tab4: OC tracers
This Tab provides end‑member values (C/N ratios and δ13C) for distinguishing autochthonous versus allochthonous organic carbon sources in lake sediments.
Autochthonous OC source: organic carbon from within the lake, including algae, plankton, and aquatic vascular plants.
Allochthonous OC source: organic carbon from outside the lake, including terrestrial plants (C3, C4 plants) and soil organic carbon.
C/N ratios and δ13C: C/N ratios and δ13C are tracers indicating sources within and outside the lake.
Note: Reference numbers correspond to the list at the bottom of the sheet.
Tab 5-Tab 8: OCBR and OC burial (Fig. 2A-Fig. 2D)
These Tabs contain OCBR and OC burial data aggregated by year and region (EPLR, YGPLR, NPMLR, IMXLR, QTPLR, and CHINA), which are used to generate Fig. 2. Among them, Fig. 2A (Tab 5) shows the OCBR(Auto) and OCBR(Total) values for five lake regions and for China’s lakes as a whole from 1900 to 2020. Fig. 2B (Tab 6) presents the characteristics of OCBR(Auto) and OCBR(Total) for each lake region before and after the turning points since 1900. Among them, Box plots are used to show the comparisons of OCBR values before and after these turning points, while line graphs illustrate the coefficient of variation of OCBR over the same pre‑ and post‑turning periods. Fig. 2C (Tab 7) shows the annual OC(Auto) and annual OC(Total) burial values for five lake regions and for China’s lakes as a whole from 1900 to 2020. Fig. 2D (Tab 8) shows the OC(Auto) and OC(Total) values for five lake regions and for China’s lakes as a whole from 1900 to 2020. The pie chart in Fig. 2D shows the proportion of OC(Auto) and OC(Total) contributed by each lake region relative to the total for China’s lakes.
OCBR(Auto) (g C m-2 yr-1): Autochthonous organic carbon burial rate.
OCBR(Total) (g C m-2 yr-1): Total organic carbon burial rate.
Annual OC(Auto) burial (Tg C yr-1): Annual autochthonous organic carbon burial.
Annual OC(Total) burial (Tg C yr-1): Annual total organic carbon burial.
OC(Auto) burial (Tg C): Autochthonous organic carbon burial.
OC(Total) burial (Tg C): Total organic carbon burial.
Tab 9: carbon emission (Fig. 3)
This tab contains data on CO2 and CH4 emissions (Tg C yr-1) aggregated by year and region, which were used to generate Fig. 3. Fig. 3A shows all FCO2 values for different lake regions. Fig. 3B shows all FCH4 values for different lake regions. Fig. 3C-3H present the CO2 emission data for the five lake regions and for China’s lakes as a whole from 1995 to 2020 at 5‑year intervals, together with the 25th-75th percentiles. Fig. 3I present the CH4 emission data for the five lake regions and for China’s lakes as a whole from 2010s to 2020s.
Tab 10: carbon emission (Fig. 4)
This tab contains data on the total carbon balance and actual carbon balance (i.e. the difference between carbon sequestration and carbon emissions) for five lake regions and for China’s lakes as a whole during the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s; these data were used to generate Fig. 4.
Total carbon balance: The difference between total OC burial and carbon emissions (CO2 and CH4 emissions).
Actual carbon balance: The difference between autochthonous OC burial and carbon emissions (CO2 and CH4 emissions).
Tab 11-Tab16: carbon emission (Fig.5A-5F)
These Tabs present both the historical annual OC(Auto) burial and annual OC(Total) burial records for the five lake regions (1900-2020) and the forecasted data (2020-2100) under three scenarios (SSP1-1.9, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5) with their 95% confidence intervals. The first column in each Tab gives the year range from 1900 to 2100. Because the projections start only after 2020, there are numerous blank cells for the earlier years. These blanks are not missing data; they merely reflect that the predictive estimates do not extend to the 1900-2020 period.
Annual OC(Auto) burial (Tg C yr⁻¹): Annual autochthonous organic carbon burial.
Annual OC(Total) burial (Tg C yr⁻¹): Annual total organic carbon burial.
Tab17-Tab21: Indicators relating to carbon burial in each lake (fig. S1A-S1E)
These tabs contain values for indicators related to carbon burial in each lake from 1900 to 2020, including TOC, OCBR, OC(Auto) contributions, OCBR(Auto), TN, C/N and δ13C, for use in plotting Supplementary fig. S1.
TOC (g kg-1): Total organic carbon content in lake sediment,
OCBR(Total) (g m-2 yr-1): Total organic carbon burial rate.
OC(Auto) contributions (%): Contributions of autochthonous organic carbon to total organic carbon.
OCBR(Auto) (g m-2 yr-1): autochthonous organic carbon burial rate.
TN (g kg-1): Total nitrogen content.
C/N: Carbon-to-Nitrogen ratio
δ13C (‰): Stable carbon isotope.
Tab22-Tab27: Factors influencing carbon burial (figs. S2 to S7)
These Tabs contain natural and anthropogenic factors affecting carbon burial in lakes and are used to illustrate Supplementary figs. S2 to S7. Among them, fig. S2 shows the contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors to OCBR(Auto) in China’s lakes. fig. S3A-S3F present the values of key lake characteristics (including location, elevation, area, and others) for each of the defined classification categories. fig. S3G-S3H present the OCBR(Auto) values of lakes in each lake region, along with their corresponding characteristics (e.g., location, elevation, area, etc.). fig. S4 shows the normalized OCBR(Auto) values and the normalized natural and anthropogenic factors for each lake region across different years. fig. S5 presents the mean values and standard deviations of natural and anthropogenic factors for each lake region. fig. S6 displays the OCBR(Auto) in each lake region from 1900 to 2020 and their amounts of OC(Auto) burial, as well as the proportion of area, number, and OC(Auto) burial contributed by each lake region relative to the total for China’s lakes. fig. S7A shows the lake area and lake number for each lake region from 1960 to 2020. fig. S7B-S7G present the time‑series data for China from 1900 to 2020, including climate, precipitation, GDP, population, number of reservoirs, reservoir capacity, and fertilizer application.
Long. (°)/Lat. (°): Geographical coordinates.
Lake area (km2): Lake surface area.
Altitude (m): Elevation.
Depth (m)/Volume (108 m3): Water depth and lake volume.
Temp (℃)/Prep (mm): Mean annual temperature and precipitation.
GDP (10 billion yuan): Gross Domestic Product of lake basins.
Pop (million people): Population in lake basins.
Fert (million tons): Fertilizer application in lake basins.
Crop, Forest and Grass (106 km2): Area of crop land, forest land and grassland in lake basins.
Normalized_Prep, Normalized_Temp, Normalized_GDP, Normalized_Pop, Normalized_Fert, Normalized_Crop, Normalized_Forest, Normalized_Grass: Normalised annual average precipitation, annual average temperature, GDP, population, fertilizer application, and the areas of crop land, forest land and grassland.
Number of reservoirs: Total number of reservoirs in lake basins.
Reservoir capacity (108 m3): Reservoir capacity in lake basins.
Fert-N (106 tons): Application of nitrogen fertilizers in lake basins.
Fert-P (106 tons): Application of phosphorus fertilizers in lake basins.
Note: Tab26 provides data on the OCBR(Auto) and OC(Auto) burial in each lake region, as well as the surface area and number of lake region.
Tab28-Tab29: Factors influencing carbon emissions (figs. S8 to S9)
These two Tabs contain factors influencing carbon (CO2 and CH4) emissions from lakes, and are used to plot supplementary fig. S8 and S9. fig. S8A-S8C show the longitudinal and latitudinal distribution and lake areas of the CO₂ sampling sites, grouped by the different classification categories. fig. S8D-S8O show the FCO2 and influencing factors (e.g., longitude, latitude, elevation, lake area, DOC, TN, etc.) for the CO2 sampling sites across the different lake regions. fig. S9A-S9C show the longitudinal and latitudinal distribution and lake areas of the CH4 sampling sites, grouped by the different classification categories. fig. S8D-S8N show the FCH4 and influencing factors (e.g., longitude, latitude, elevation, lake area, DOC, TN, etc.) for the CH4 sampling sites across the different lake regions.
Longitude (°)/Latitude (°): Geographical coordinates.
Lake area (km2): Lake surface area.
Altitude (m): Elevation.
Depth (m)/Volume (108 m3): Water depth and lake volume.
Temp (℃)/Prep (mm): Mean annual temperature and precipitation.
DOC (mg L-1): Dissolved organic carbon concentration.
TN (mg L-1): Total Nitrogen concentration.
TP (mg L-1): Total Phosphorus concentration.
pH: Water pH.
DO (mg L-1): Dissolved Oxygen concentration.
Chl-a (µg L-1): Chlorophyll-a concentration.
Temp (℃)/Prep (mm): Mean annual temperature and precipitation.
Tab30: Validation of carbon burial projections (fig. S12).
This tab displays the actual and simulated carbon burial values for different lake regions, along with the 95% confidence intervals for the simulated values. These data are used to validate the multiple regression model.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
Climate data (Temp and Prep)：National Earth System Science Data Center, National Science & Technology Infrastructure of China (geodata.cn) (1901-2020); CMIP6 climate projections (copernicus.eu) (2020-2100).
Lake area: Lake-Watershed Science Data Center(lake.geodata.cn) (1960-2020).
Population of China: National Earth System Science Data (1952-2020); Provincial and gridded population projection for China under shared socioeconomic pathways from 2010 to 2100 (2020-2100).
GDP of China: National Data (stats.gov.cn) (1952-2020); Gridded datasets for population and economy under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways for 2020–2100 (2020-2100).
Fertilize consumption of China: National Data (stats.gov.cn) (1952-2020).
Land use change of China: Forest expansion dominates China’s land carbon sink since 1980 (1900-2019); 1 km land use/land cover change of China under comprehensive socioeconomic and climate scenarios for 2020-2100 (2020-2100).