Nitrous oxide and methane seasonal variability in the epilimnion of a large tropical meromictic lake (Lake Kivu, East-Africa)

We report a data-set of monthly vertical profiles obtained from January 2012 to October 2013, from the surface to 70 m depth of nitrous oxide (N2O) and dissolved methane (CH4) in Lake Kivu, a large and deep meromictic tropical lake (East Africa). Vertical variations of N2O were modest, with ranges of 6--9 and 0--16 nmol L−1 in surface and bottom waters, respectively, and occasionally peaks of N2O (up to 58 nmol L−1) were observed at the oxic-anoxic interface. On the contrary, steep vertical gradients of CH4 were observed with values changing several orders of magnitude from surface (19--103 nmol L−1) to 70 m (113,000--520,000 nmol L−1). Seasonal variations of CH4 were caused by annual cycles of mixing and stratification, during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. This mixing allowed the establishment of a thick oxic layer (maximum 65 m deep), leading to decreased CH4 concentrations (minimum of 8 nmol L−1), presumably due to bacterial CH4 oxidation. During the stratification period, the oxic mixed layer was thinner (minimum 25 m deep), and an increase of CH4 concentrations in surface waters was observed (maximum of 103 nmol L−1), probably due to a lower integrated CH4 oxidation on the water column. Lake Kivu seasonally alternated between a source and a sink for atmospheric N2O, but on an annual scale was a small source of N2O to the atmosphere (on average 0.43 \textmumol m−2 day−1), while it was a small source of CH4 to the atmosphere throughout the year (on average 86 \textmumol m−2 day−1). Vertical and seasonal variations of N2O are discussed in terms of nitrification and denitrification, although from the present data-set it is not possible to unambiguously identify the main drivers of N2O production.