Rexroade et al. (2026) Seasonal wetting and drying dynamics drive greenhouse gas emissions across Australia’s river network

Identification

• Journal: Communications Earth & Environment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-10-14
• Authors: Adam T. Rexroade, Marcus B. Wallin, Dylan J. Irvine, Francesco Ulloa-Cedamanos, Anna Mariko Lintern, Jackie R. Webb, Ryan Felton, Clément Duvert
• DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-04135-1

Research Groups

• Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
• Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
• National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
• School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
• Centre for Agricultural Engineering, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
• Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Science, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
• Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry Research, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
• College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia

Short Summary

This study integrates riverine and dry riverbed carbon dioxide and methane data with geospatial data to predict greenhouse gas emissions across Australia's river network. The results show that seasonal wetting and drying dynamics drive greenhouse gas emissions.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of seasonal hydrological variability on greenhouse gas emissions from Australian rivers

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: National scale, covering the entire Australian drainage network
• Temporal Scale: Monthly time-step to capture seasonal variations in river surface area and discharge

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Integrated river emission measurements and geospatial drainage network analysis
• Data sources: Riverine and dry riverbed carbon dioxide and methane data, geospatial data of the Australian drainage network

Main Results

• Flowing Australian rivers emit a total of 48.5 teragrams of carbon dioxide and 0.28 teragrams of methane annually
• Dry riverbeds add 13.9 teragrams of carbon dioxide to the total emissions
• Spatiotemporal emission patterns closely follow variations in river surface area, with contrasting seasonal pulses from tropical regions in the wet season and temperate regions in winter

Contributions

• This study highlights the importance of hydrological dynamics in governing riverine emissions across Australia
• The results provide new insights into the role of seasonal wetting and drying dynamics in driving greenhouse gas emissions

Funding

• Australian Research Council (grant DE220100852)
• Swedish Research Council (2021-04058)

Citation

@article{Rexroade2026Seasonal,
  author = {Rexroade, Adam T. and Wallin, Marcus B. and Irvine, Dylan J. and Ulloa-Cedamanos, Francesco and Lintern, Anna  Mariko and Webb, Jackie R. and Felton, Ryan and Duvert, Clément},
  title = {Seasonal wetting and drying dynamics drive greenhouse gas emissions across Australia’s river network},
  journal = {Communications Earth & Environment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-04135-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-04135-1}
}