Arctic methane emissions | EPFL Graph Search

Arctic methane release is the release of methane from seas and soils in permafrost regions of the Arctic. While it is a long-term natural process, methane release is exacerbated by global warming. This results in a positive feedback cycle, as methane is itself a powerful greenhouse gas. The Arctic region is one of the many natural sources of the greenhouse gas methane. Global warming could potentially accelerate its release, due to both release of methane from existing stores, and from methanogenesis in rotting biomass. Large quantities of methane are stored in the Arctic in natural gas deposits and as undersea clathrates. When permafrost thaws as a consequence of warming, large amounts of organic material can become available for methanogenesis and may ultimately be released as methane. Clathrates also degrade on warming and release methane directly. Methane concentrations are 8–10% higher in the Arctic than in the Antarctic atmosphere. During cold glacier epochs, this gradient decreases to practically insignificant levels. Land ecosystems are considered the main sources of this asymmetry, although it has been suggested in 2007 that "the role of the Arctic Ocean is significantly underestimated." Soil temperature and moisture levels have been found to be significant variables in soil methane fluxes in tundra environments. Due to the relatively short lifetime of atmospheric methane, its global trends are more complex than those of carbon dioxide. NOAA annual records have been updated since 1984, and they show substantial growth during the 1980s, a slowdown in annual growth during the 1990s, a plateau (including some years of declining atmospheric concentrarions) in the early 2000s and another consistent increase beginning in 2007. Since around 2018, there has been a consistent acceleration in annual methane increases, with the 2020 increase of 15.06 parts per billion breaking the previous record increase of 14.05 ppb set in 1991, and 2021 setting an even larger increase of 18.34 ppb.

The phantom midge menace: Migratory Chaoborus larvae maintain poor ecosystem state in eutrophic inland waters

Sabine Flury McGinnis

Chaoborus spp. (phantom midge) are prevalent in eutrophic inland waters. In Lake Soppen, Switzerland, C. flavicans larvae diurnally migrate between the methane-rich, oxygen-depleted hypolimnion and sediments, and the methane-poor, oxygen-rich epilimnion. Using a combination of experiments and system modelling, this study demonstrated that the larvae's burrowing activities in and out of the sediment perturbed the sediment and re-introduced sequestered phosphorus into the overlying water at a rate of 0.022 μg P ind−1 d−1, thereby exacerbating internal nutrient loading in the water column. Fluxes of sediment methane and other reduced solutes enhanced by the larval bioturbation would consume oxygen and sustain the hypoxic/anoxic condition below the thermocline. In addition to increasing diffusive fluxes, migrating larvae also directly transported methane in their gas vesicles from the deep water and release it in the surface water at a rate of 0.99 nmol CH4 ind−1 d−1, potentially contributing to methane emission to air. As nutrient pollution and climate warming persist or worsen in the coming decades, proliferation of Chaoborus could intensify this positive feedback loop and delay lake recovery.

2018

Deconstructing Methane Emissions from a Small Northern European River: Hydrodynamics and Temperature as Key Drivers

Sabine Flury McGinnis

Methane (CH4) emissions from small rivers and streams, particularly via ebullition, are currently under-represented in the literature. Here, we quantify the methane effluxes and drivers in a small, Northern European river. Methane fluxes are comparable to those from tropical aquatic systems, with average emissions of 320 mg CH4 m–2 d–1. Two important drivers of methane flux variations were identified in the studied system: 1) temperature-driven sediment methane ebullition and 2) flow-dependent contribution suspected to be hydraulic exchange with adjacent wetlands and small side-bays. This flow-dependent contribution to river methane loading is shown to be negligible for flows less than 4 m3 s–1 and greater than 50% as flows exceed 7 m3 s–1. While the temperature-ebullition relationship is comparable to other systems, the flow rate dependency has not been previously demonstrated. In general, we found that about 80% of the total emissions were due to methane bubbles. Applying ebullition rates to global estimates for fluvial systems, which currently are not considered, could dramatically increase emission rates to ranges from lakes or wetlands. This work illustrates that small rivers can emit significant methane and highlights the need for further studies on the link between hydrodynamics and connected wetlands.

2016

Methane oxidation pathways in Lake La Cruz

Corinne Jegge

Even though lakes only occupy a small percentage of Earth's surface, they represent a natural source of methane, contributing substantially to methane emissions and ultimately to global warming. There is extensive evidence that methane emissions from lakes are mitigated by its oxidation. However, many uncertainties concerning biotic controls on methane release from lakes remain, especially in zones where oxygen is depleted and other electron acceptors might be important. In this study, biological methane oxidation was investigated in the water column of Lake La Cruz, a small karstic lake located in Central Eastern Spain near the city of Cuenca. Permanent stratification and unusually high concentrations of dissolved iron(II) make this lake ideal for studying methane oxidation in the absence of oxygen, particularly the possibility of this process coupled to iron reduction. The physical and chemical properties of Lake La Cruz were investigated, including the presence of methane and possible electron acceptors. Incubation experiments with 13C-methane were carried out to measure methane oxidation rates, test possible electron acceptors and other coupled processes. Highest methane oxidation rates were measured at the oxic-anoxic boundary, where aerobic oxidation dominated. Moreover, the aerobic pathway also seemed relevant below the oxycline, likely triggered by in-situ production of oxygen via photosynthesis. Evidence suggests that nitrate, nitrite and iron also function as electron acceptors for methane oxidation, whereas manganese and sulfate are unlikely oxidants. Methane oxidation coupled to denitrification seemed to proceed in close vicinity to aerobic methane oxidation and was likely limited by nitrate/nitrite availability and competition with denitrifiers. Iron mediated methane oxidation only appeared relevant in lower parts of the lake where both oxygen and nitrate were depleted. Though known aerobic methanotrophs were present and appeared to mediate methane oxidation to some degree, the involvement of unknown groups of aerobic and also anaerobic methane-oxidizers is probable. Methane emissions to the atmosphere are effectively mitigated by a seemingly complex interplay of aerobic and anaerobic processes in Lake La Cruz.

2015

Methane oxidation pathways in Lake La Cruz

Corinne Jegge

2015