Lake Monoun in Cameroon is one of only three known exploding lakes on Earth capable of undergoing limnic eruptions. In 1984, a sudden release of carbon dioxide from the lake asphyxiated 37 people. The catastrophe occurred because deep volcanic vents continuously leak CO2 into the bottom waters of the lake, where high hydrostatic pressure keeps the gas dissolved in saturation.
A sudden landslide or thermal inversion can trigger the saturated bottom layer to rise, rapidly releasing dissolved gas in a runaway chain reaction similar to opening a shaken soda bottle. By 1996, rigorous risk assessments revealed that Lake Monoun was approaching dangerous levels of CO2 saturation once again, threatening surrounding villages. To prevent a recurring disaster, an international team of scientists engineered a novel degassing system.
Installed in the early 2000s, the design relies on a vertical pipe submerged deep into the lake floor. Once water is initially pumped up through the pipe, the decreasing pressure causes gas bubbles to form and expand, driving a continuous, self-sustaining siphon that safely expels CO2 into the atmosphere without external power.