Steven Bouillon

KU Leuven | ku leuven · Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere from inland waters—streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs—are nearly equivalent to ocean and land sinks globally. Inland waters can be an important source of methane and nitrous oxide emissions as well, but emissions are poorly quantified, especially in Africa. Here we report dissolved carbon dioxide, metha...

Inland waters organic carbon (OC) burial by sedimentation has recently been shown to be an important component in river catchment carbon (C) budgets. However, data on OC burial by sedimentation are hitherto largely limited to temperate zones. We investigated the deposition and fate of sediment-associated OC in the floodplains of the tropical lowlan...

Freshwater bivalve shell oxygen and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ18O, δ13C) may act as recorders of hydroclimate (e.g., precipitation−evaporation balance, discharge) and aquatic biogeochemistry. We investigate the potential of these hydroclimate proxies measured along the growth axis of shells collected from the Oubangui River (Bangui, Central Af...

We carried out 10 field expeditions between 2010 and 2015 in the lowland part of the Congo River network in the eastern part of the basin (Democratic Republic of the Congo), to describe the spatial variations in fluvial dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations. We investigate the possible drivers of the s...

Natural lakes are thought to be globally important sources of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) to the atmosphere although nearly no data have been previously reported from Africa. We collected CO2, CH4, and N2O data in 24 African lakes that accounted for 49% of total lacustrine surface area of the African continent and covered a wide range of m...

We report dissolved CO2, CH4 and N2O concentrations in two large East African Rift lakes, Edward (surface area 2,325 km2, average depth of 37 m) and George (surface area 273 km2, average depth of 2 m). Lake George showed modest seasonal and spatial variations, and lower partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) (26±16 ppm, mean±standard deviation), CH4 (234±2...

Madagascar is known for its high erosion rates in the central highlands, yet the role of human disturbance versus natural processes is not well understood and is a topic of ongoing debate. At present the necessary quantitative data to couple vegetation dynamics and sediment fluxes over time in Madagascar is scarce. This study aims to provide more i...

Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon (OC) sequestration, soil organic matter (SOM) processing and atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) release in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all t...

The tributary rivers of Lake Tana are important nursery grounds for larvae and juveniles of the migratory endemic Labeobarbus species, but very little is known about their functional habitat and feeding preferences. This study investigated nursery grounds, habitat shifts, and potential energy sources for juvenile Labeobarbus species. Electrofishing...

Heterotrophic respiration of organic matter (OM) is thought to dominate over aquatic primary production (PP) in most freshwater lake ecosystems. This paradigm implies that lateral transport of OM from the terrestrial biosphere subsidize the major fraction of aquatic respiration and that many lakes are a net source of carbon dioxide (CO2) to atmosph...

The extent to which the central highlands of Madagascar were once covered by forests is still a matter of debate: while reconstructing past environments is inherently difficult, the debate is further hampered by the fact that the evidence documenting land cover changes and their effects on carbon and sediment dynamics in Madagascar has hitherto mai...

Mangroves are widely recognised as key ecosystems for climate change mitigation as they capture and store significant amounts of sediment organic carbon (SOC). Yet, there is incomplete knowledge on how sources of SOC and their differential preservation vary between mangrove sites in relation to environmental gradients. To address this, sediment dep...

Although estuaries are considered important pathways in the global carbon cycle, carbon dynamics in tropical estuaries is relatively understudied. Here, the tidal, seasonal and spatial variability of particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), among other biogeochemical variables relat...

The extent to which the central highlands of Madagascar were once covered by forests is still a matter of debate: while reconstructing past environments is inherently difficult, the debate is further hampered by the fact that the evidence documenting land cover changes and their effects on carbon and sediment dynamics in Madagascar has hitherto mai...

While the emissions of methane (CH4) by the natural systems have been widely investigated, the aquatic sinks are still poorly constrained. Here, we investigated CH4 cycle and its interactions with nitrogen (N), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) cycles in the oxic-anoxic interface and deep anoxic waters of a small, meromictic and eutrophic lake, during t...

Lavaka (gullies) are often considered as the prime indication of a currently ongoing human-induced environmental crisis in Madagascar's highlands. Yet, lavaka are known to have existed long before human arrival and account for the majority of the long-term sediment input into the highland rivers and floodplains. The role of anthropogenic disturbanc...

Mangroves are widely recognised as key ecosystems for climate change mitigation as they capture and store significant amounts of sediment organic carbon (SOC). Yet, there is incomplete knowledge on how sources of SOC and their differential preservation vary between mangrove sites in relation to environmental gradients. To address this, sediment dep...

1. Lake Victoria experienced a strong degradation of water quality between the 1960s and the 1990s and, as a consequence of eutrophication, the dominant phytoplankton group changed from diatoms to N2-fixing cyanobacteria and there was a 2- to 10-fold increase in Chlorophyll-a. The goal of this study is to determine whether the 2018-2019 physical- (...

We test the applicability of bivalve shell oxygen isotope composition to reconstruct hydrological dynamics in four riverine sites in the Congo River basin. Twenty-three specimens from the Unionoida order were collected from locations where long-term discharge data are available, and in situ measurements and water samples were collected over several...

The term ‘Blue Carbon’ was coined about a decade ago to highlight the important carbon sequestration capacity of coastal vegetated ecosystems. The term has paved the way for the development of programs and policies that preserve and restore these threatened coastal ecosystems for climate change mitigation. Blue carbon research has focused on quanti...

Robust reconstructions of paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental changes using stalagmite proxy records critically depend on detailed observations of the transfer function between the regional climate/environment, the karst aquifer hydrology, and finally the cave microclimate via monitoring, which is currently lacking in Madagascar. This paper reports...

Different erosion processes deliver large amounts of terrestrial soil organic carbon (SOC) to rivers. Mounting evidence indicates that a significant fraction of this SOC, which displays a wide range of ages, is rapidly decomposed after entering the river system. The mechanisms explaining this rapid decomposition of previously stable SOC still remai...

One of the central assumptions of paleoenvironmental research using lipid biomarker isotope compositions in sedimentary archives is the isotopic stability of these compounds after deposition. If this indeed applies for open marine sediments with low sedimentation rates and strong biodegradation is, however, not well constrained. Here we study lipid...

Though previous studies demonstrate the utility of nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C, respectively) in bivalve soft tissues as biogeochemical proxies, it is necessary to develop alternative proxies for environmental reconstructions when soft tissues are unavailable, such as with fossils or in museum archived specimens. This study as...

Despite growing evidence that methane (CH4) formation could also occur in well-oxygenated surface fresh waters, its significance at the ecosystem scale is uncertain. Empirical models based on data gathered at high latitude predict that the contribution of oxic CH4 increases with lake size and should represent the majority of CH4 emissions in large...

Despite growing evidence that methane (CH4) formation could also occur in well-oxygenated surface freshwaters, its significance at the ecosystem scale is uncertain. Empirical models based on data gathered at high latitude predict that the contribution of oxic CH4 increases with lake size and should represent the majority of CH4 emissions in large l...

Rivers receive large amounts of terrestrial soil organic carbon (SOC) due to the action of different erosion processes. Mounting evidence indicates that a significant fraction of this SOC, which is often very old, is rapidly decomposed after entering the river system. The mechanisms explaining this rapid decomposition of previously stable SOC still...

We report a data set of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition (stable carbon isotope signatures, absorption and fluorescence properties) obtained from samples collected in Lake Victoria, a large lake in East Africa. Samples were collected in 2018-2019 along a bathymetric gradient (bays to open w...

Coastal vegetated wetlands—mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass beds, hereafter called coastal wetlands—are marine ecosystems constituted of rooted macrophytes living intertidally or subtidally. They occupy a narrow fringe along the shores of all continents except Antarctica. They are profoundly important to human livelihoods and the regulation of...

Inland waters (rivers, lakes and ponds) are important conduits for the emission of terrestrial carbon in Arctic permafrost landscapes. These emissions are driven by turnover of contemporary terrestrial carbon and additional "pre-aged" (Holocene and late-Pleistocene) carbon released from thawing permafrost soils, but the magnitude of these source co...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Inland waters (rivers, lakes and ponds) are important conduits for the emission of terrestrial carbon in Arctic permafrost landscapes. These emissions are driven by turnover of contemporary terrestrial carbon and additional pre-aged (Holocene and late-Pleistocene) carbon released from thawing permafrost soils, but the magnitude of these source cont...

Lake Edward is one of the African Rift Valley lakes draining into the Nile River basin. We conducted three sampling series in Lake seasonal conditions and in several sites varying by depth and proximity to river outlets, including the Kazinga Channel, which connects the hypertrophic Lake George to Lake Edward. The phytoplankton was examined using m...

Sedimented hydrothermal vents are likely to be widespread compared to hard substrate hot vents. They host chemosynthetic microbial communities which fix inorganic carbon (C) at the seafloor, as well as a wide range of macroinfauna, including vent-obligate and background non-vent taxa. There are no previous direct observations of carbon cycling at a...

Understanding the degree to which aquatic and terrestrial primary production fuel tropical aquatic food webs remains poorly understood, and quantifying the relative contributions of autochthonous and allochthonous inputs is methodologically challenging. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) can provide valuable insights about contr...

Sedimented hydrothermal vents are likely to be widespread compared to hard substrate hot vents. They host chemosynthetic microbial communities which fix inorganic C at the seafloor, as well as a wide range of macroinfauna, including vent-obligate and background non-vent taxa. There are no previous direct observations of Carbon cycling at a sediment...

The present study investigated diffusive emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere from three relatively small (3–120 km2) reservoirs (Masinga, Kamburu and Gitaru) on the Tana River (Kenya). Sampling was conducted biweekly in 2011, 2012 and 2013, at sampling sites upstream and downstream of these reservoirs while five sam...

We report the spatial variations of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations in the lowland part of the Congo River network obtained during ten field expeditions carried out between 2010 and 2015, in the eastern part of the basin (Democratic Republic of Congo). Two transects of 1,650 km were carried out...

As bottom water warms, destabilisation of gas hydrates may increase the extent of methane rich sediments. We present an assessment of organic carbon processing by the benthic community in methane rich sediments, including one of the first investigations of inorganic C fixation in a non-hydrothermal vent setting. This topic was previously poorly stu...

1. Knowledge of trophic structure is important to understand sources and pathways of energy resources in community ecology and to identify determinants of ecosystem changes. Yet, little is known from rivers of African savanna receiving large inputs of terrestrial organic matter and nutrients by large mammalian herbivores. 2. We used Stable Isotope...

The hydrological status of river systems is expected to change due to dam operations and climate change. This will affect the riverine fluxes of sediment and carbon (C). In rivers with strong seasonal and inter-annual variability, quantification and extrapolation of sediment and C fluxes can be a challenge as measurement periods are often too short...

Both climate change and land-use changes represent serious environmental issues throughout Africa, and are expected to lead to significant changes in river hydrology and geochemistry. Freshwater bivalve shell geochemistry may provide useful information about past river characteristics (discharge, geochemistry) providing a baseline to help understan...

Inland waters impart considerable influence on nutrient cycling and budget estimates across local, regional and global scales, whilst anthropogenic pressures, such as rising populations and the appropriation of land and water resources, are undoubtedly modulating the flux of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) between terrestrial biomes to...

We report a data set of biogeochemical variables related to carbon cycling obtained in the three branches (Mỹ Tho, Hàm Luông, Cố Chiên) of the Mekong delta (Bến Tre province, Vietnam) in December 2003, April 2004, and October 2004. Both the inner estuary (upstream of the mouth) and the outer estuary (river plume) were sampled, as well as side chann...

We report a data-set of CO2, CH4, and N2O concentrations in the surface waters of the Meuse river network in Belgium, obtained during four surveys covering 50 stations (summer 2013 and late winter 2013, 2014 and 2015), from yearly cycles in four rivers of variable size and catchment land cover, and from 111 groundwater samples. Surface waters of th...

Given the relative scarcity of stable isotope data on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Amazon Basin, we hypothesized that the variability in DOC sources may be underestimated in such major river basins. To explore the links between the mainstem and tributaries and the floodplain, particular efforts were made during five distinct cruises at dif...

The impact of human activities on the concentrations and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) was investigated in the Walloon Region of the Meuse River basin (Belgium). Water samples were collected at different hydrological periods along a gradient of human disturbance (50 sampling sites ranging from 8....

We report a data-set obtained in the three branches (My Tho, Ham Luong, Co Chien) of the Mekong delta (Bến Tre province, Vietnam) in December 2003, April 2004, and October 2004, of biogeochemical variables related to carbon cycling (pH, total alkalinity (TA), O2 saturation level (%O2), calculated partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), dissolved CH4 concen...

Inland waters impart considerable influence on nutrient cycling and budget estimates across local, regional and global scales, whilst anthropogenic pressures, such as rising populations and the appropriation of land and water resources, are undoubtedly modulating the flux of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) between terrestrial biomes to...

Quantification of sediment and carbon (C) fluxes in rivers with strong seasonal and inter-annual variability presents a challenge for global flux estimates as measurement periods are often too short to cover all hydrological conditions. We studied the dynamics of the Tana River (Kenya) from 2012 to 2014 through daily monitoring of sediment concentr...

The concept of species niches has enhanced our understanding of community assembly and food web structure in a variety of ecosystem types. Niche-based species sorting profoundly determines community composition along strong environmental gradients, while interspecific interactions tend to be more important within habitats at local spatial scales. T...