A new report has revealed that astonishingly water reservoirs and dams are among the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

These dams or man-made reservoirs are apparently emitting one gigaton of methane every year. This is estimated to be one-sixth of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. today.

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A team of researchers from Washington State University determined that the methane released by water reservoirs has a huge impact on global warming effect even if the gas possesses a short lifespan.

The researchers analyzed more than 200 past studies involving the effects of greenhouse gas emissions linked to water dams.

Even if there is a significant decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, methane gas levels continue to rise and add to the destructive effects of climate change. Up to 79 percent of all methane greenhouse gas emissions in the world is estimated to originate from water reservoirs.

According to the co-author of the study, John Harrison of Washington State, natural water systems produce methane. However, studies have shown that reservoirs produce more methane at a faster rate than other ecosystems due to several reasons.

According to the researchers, the soil under these water dams contains a special kind of organic compound that converts into methane and carbon dioxide. Since these reservoirs are also connected to river and stream systems, the dams receive these organic matter and sediment runoff, triggering more methane production.

An indication of this excessive methane production are bubbles that are accumulating on the surface of the water inside dams. These bubbles are forming since methane is less soluble compared to other greenhouse gasses.

The researchers predict that these methane emission levels from man-made water reservoirs will continue to rise due to a booming reservoir infrastructure landscape.

This new study has been published in the journal, BioScience.