Urbanization significantly increases greenhouse gas emissions from a subtropical headwater stream in Southeast China

Streams are disproportionately significant contributors to increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) effluxes in river networks. In the context of global urbanization, a growing number of streams are affected by urbanization, which has been suggested to stimulate the water-air GHG emissions from fluvial systems. This study investigated the seasonal and longitudinal profiles of GHG (N2O, CH4, and CO2) concentrations of Jiuxianghe Stream, a headwater stream undergoing urbanization, and estimated its GHG diffusive fluxes and global warming potentials (GWPs) using the boundary layer method. The results showed that N2O, CH4, and CO2 concentrations in Jiuxianghe Stream were 0.45–7.19 μg L−1, 0.31–586.85 μg L−1, and 0.16–11.60 mg L−1, respectively. N2O, CH4, and CO2 concentrations in the stream showed 4.55-, 23.70-, and 7.68-fold increases from headwaters to downstream, respectively, corresponding to the forest-urban transition within the watershed. Multiple linear regression indicated that NO3−–N, NH4+–N, and DOC:NO3−–N accurately predicted N2O and CO2 concentrations, indicating that N nutrients were the driving factors. The Jiuxianghe Stream was a source of atmospheric GHGs with a daily GWP of 7.31 g CO2-eq m−2 d−1 on average and was significantly positively correlated with the ratio of construction land and forest in the sub-watershed. This study highlights the critical role of urbanization in amplifying GHG emissions from streams, thereby augmenting our understanding of GHG emissions from river networks. With global urbanization on the rise, streams experiencing urbanization are expected to make an unprecedentedly significant contribution to riverine GHG budgets in the future.