Small, shallow waterbodies (example to the left) are among the most productive freshwater ecosystems on the planet! In a new publication that comes from a long-running Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) collaboration called PONDING (Pond Observation aNd Discovery in GLEON) led by Dr. Joe Rabaey, Dr. Meredith Holgerson, and me along with a great group of international collaborators. We examined ecosystem metabolism in 26 shallow waterbodies in N. America and Europe. The shallowest waterbodies had the highest GPP, R, and most variable NEP compared to other freshwater ecosystems (see Figure 5 from the paper below). Our study provides more evidence that ponds are truly biogeochemical hotspots!
Here is a link to the full manuscript here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2023GL106689