Theory 17/Boreal Forest/Boreal lakes
Lakes Emit What They Cannot Process
The claim
Boreal lake carbon emission is set by the ratio of terrestrial carbon import to in-lake processing rather than by import alone.
01Mechanism
Imported carbon is either respired or buried; the ratio sets how much leaves as gas, which is why similar imports give different emissions.
02Prediction
Emission should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Emission tracking import would remove processing.