Closing the Climate-Hydrology Feedback Loop: Variations in Greenhouse Gas Fluxes Resulting from Changes in Catchment Hydrology Due to Human-Induced Climate Change

Climate change during the Anthropocene has caused many disturbances to Earth’s system, including altering patterns of precipitation and temperature. This has led to hydrological extremes with increases in both floods and droughts globally. We know and recognise this large effect on the global water cycle, but the consequent influence on biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas production has received less attention. Changes in greenhouse gas emissions due to increases in hydrological extremes may be an unrecognised climate feedback, having large implications for future climate and in turn, catchment hydrology. Here we present a synthesis from field studies and a review of the literature to investigate the effects of hydrological extremes on greenhouse gas production and emissions. We focus on variations in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of changes in both discharge and temperature, which are affected by hydrological extremes.