Tiny ponds in the Andes pack a big climate punch, UNC study finds

Small mountain ponds high in the tropical Andes may be playing an outsized role in global climate change, according to new research led by scientists at the University of North Carolina. 

The study, conducted in Ecuador’s páramo, a high-altitude grassland ecosystem, found that even tiny ponds can release surprisingly large amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Until now, these remote mountain wetlands have been largely overlooked in global carbon studies. 

“Our study shows that the smallest ponds can make a big difference, emitting more carbon than larger waters just meters away,” said Kriddie Whitmore, a recent Ph.D. graduate from UNC who led the fieldwork and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Umeå University in Sweden. “These results highlight the need for increased research focused on small aquatic systems.” 

By measuring emissions across ponds at different elevations and temperatures, the researchers found that elevation, water temperature, and how ponds connect with surrounding soils all strongly influence how much carbon they release. Contrary to past assumptions, smaller doesn’t necessarily mean less impactful. 

“These areas have long been blind spots in global climate models,” said Diego Riveros-Iregui, the study’s principal investigator and professor of geography and environment at UNC. “By uncovering what drives carbon emissions in these remote, high-elevation ecosystems, we are filling a major gap in global climate science. This knowledge helps us refine climate models and better understand how tropical mountain landscapes influence Earth’s carbon balance.”  

The findings suggest that high-altitude ecosystems like the páramo, which store vast amounts of carbon in their soils, could be important players in regulating the planet’s climate. Incorporating emissions from these small ponds into global models will help scientists make more accurate carbon budgets and predict how climate change might affect carbon cycling in tropical mountain regions. 

The research paper is available online in the Limnology & Oceanography journal at: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.70261 

This research was made possible by financial support from the U.S. National Science Foundation.