This project will contrast lakes with and without carp to determine how carp impact carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions, and determine the climate change and economic benefits of carp removal.
Our goal is to provide analyses giving lake managers at DNR, other agencies, tribes, and policy makers the applied tools they need to determine how to optimally apply carp management to Minnesota lakes. This goal will be attained by contrasting lakes with diverse amounts of carp to determine how carp impact carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions and determine the climate change and economic benefits of carp removal. Our study will be guided by a stakeholder focus group of those who will apply our results for management and benefit from the findings of this work. We will analyze 18 lakes including (1) lakes with abundant carp, (2) lakes with low- or no- carp, and (3) lakes where carp have not yet been detected. We will measure the abundance of carp and aquatic plants in these lakes and estimate sediment accumulation rates and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O). We will then analyze the influence of carp abundance on these rates and estimate the social costs associated with carp-driven environmental change.