Role of mountain streams in carbon cycle

• The role of mountain streams in carbon cycle was recently assessed by some researchers.
• It was found that Mountain streams emit a surprising amount of carbon dioxide

Mountain streams

• Mountains cover 25 per cent of the Earth’s surface, and the streams draining these mountains account for more than a third of the global runoff.
• Researchers have found that mountain streams have a higher average carbon dioxide emission rate per square metre than streams at lower altitudes.
• This is due in part to the additional turbulence caused as water flows down slopes.

Significance in carbon cycle

• Researchers found that mountain streams have a higher average CO₂ emission rate per square meter than streams at lower altitudes.
• So even though these streams make up just 5% of the global surface area of the fluvial networks, they likely account for 10% to 30% of CO₂ emissions from these networks.