Methane flux from northern peatlands

ABSTRACT The concentration of methane (CH4) in the global troposphere is increasing. Ambient air measurements document an approximate rate of increase of 1–2% yr−1 over the past decade1–4.

Measurements of CH4 in air bubbles trapped in polar ice indicate that tropospheric concentrations of CH4 several hundred years ago may have been ∼45% of present levels5–7. To understand and

assess possible causes of the atmospheric CH4 increase requires improved quantitative knowledge of global sources and sinks of CH4. Previous attempts to estimate sources of atmospheric CH4,

based on very few measurements, have suggested that natural and agricultural wetlands are major sources8,9. The major wetland regions of the world are in boreal, low Arctic and tropical

ecosystems10. It is these regions, particularly in peatland habitats where major accumulations of organic materials occur under anaerobic conditions, that should be significant sources of

global tropospheric CH4. The most extensive peatlands in the world occur in the boreal taiga zone between ∼45° and 65° N latitude. More than 95% of world peat resources occur in the Soviet

Union, Canada, the United States, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United Kingdom10. We report here the first survey of CH4 flux from northern peatlands of the United States. Emission rates

ranged from 0.003 to 1.94 g CH4 m−2 day−1, with half of these values between 0.1 and 0.4 g CH4 m−2 day−1. The frequency distribution is log normal (Fig. 1) and the mean emission rate is

0.337 g CH4 m−2 day−1. Such fluxes are higher than most values reported for other ecosystems, suggesting that northern peatlands may be an important source of global tropospheric CH4. Access

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SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS RELEVANT METHANE EMISSION TO THE ATMOSPHERE FROM A GEOLOGICAL GAS MANIFESTATION Article Open access 18 February 2021 PERMAFROST CARBON EMISSIONS IN A

CHANGING ARCTIC Article 11 January 2022 SENSITIVITY OF ARCTIC CH4 EMISSIONS TO LANDSCAPE WETNESS DIMINISHED BY ATMOSPHERIC FEEDBACKS Article Open access 06 July 2023 REFERENCES * Graedel, T.

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(American Waterworks Association, Minneapolis (1978). Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Atmospheric Sciences Division, Mail Stop 483, NASA

Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, 23665, USA Robert C. Harriss, Daniel I. Sebacher & Patricia A. Flebbe * University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA Eville

Gorham * College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185, USA Karen B. Bartlett Authors * Robert C. Harriss View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed 

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Methane flux from northern peatlands. _Nature_ 315, 652–654 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/315652a0 Download citation * Received: 10 January 1985 * Accepted: 09 April 1985 * Issue Date: 20

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