“We have these really large methane reserves that are behind these dams,” Dorothy said. “As we do things like dredging or any kind of disturbance, as water fluctuations change, those methane bubbles come up to the surface and are emitted into the atmosphere”
The upper Mississippi itself has more than two dozen locks and dams, which wind up slowing down the river’s flow and the organic material in it. Methane is released when that organic matter accumulates and decomposes