Methane emissions from thermokarst lakes must emphasize the ice-melting impact on the Tibetan Plateau.

Thermokarst lakes, serving as significant sources of methane (CH), play a crucial role in affecting the feedback of permafrost carbon cycle to global warming. However, accurately assessing CH emissions from these lakes remains challenging due to limited observations during lake ice melting periods. In this study, by integrating field surveys with machine learning modeling, we offer a comprehensive assessment of present and future CH emissions from thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau.

Thermokarst lake drainage halves the temperature sensitivity of CH release on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Thermokarst lakes as hot spots of methane (CH) release are crucial for predicting permafrost carbon feedback to global warming. These lakes are suffering from serious drainage events, however, the impacts of lake drainage on CH release remain unclear. Here, synthesizing field drilling, incubation experiments, and carbon composition and microbial communities, we reveal the temperature sensitivities (Q) and drivers of CH release from drainage-affected lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.