Methane cycling in a tidal freshwater swamp

Conference · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)

OSTI ID:6210412

Megonigal, J P; Schlesinger, W H ^[1]

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1. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)

Previous studies of methanogenesis in a tidal freshwater swamp on the North Carolina coast have found that potential rates of methane production overestimate observed rates of methane flux, especially during summer months. This research investigates three possibilities for the unexplained losses: methane oxidation, lateral export of dissolved methane to the adjacent river, and ebullition. It is possible that each of these sinks increase during the summer. The potential for methane oxidation was demonstrated in intact soil cores incubated for 21 hours under a 0.5% CH[sub 3]F atmosphere. Methane flux increased from 10+/-27 (mean+/-sd) to 60+/-3 mg m[sup [minus]2] d[sup [minus]1] in treated cores; control core fluxes were 15+/-3 and 19+/-3 mg m[sup [minus]2] d[sup [minus]1] over the same periods. Incubations of slightly unsaturated soils with [sup 14]CH[sub 4] confirmed rapid potential rates of methane oxidation.

• OSTI ID: 6210412
• Report Number(s): CONF-930798--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States) Journal Volume: 74:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ALKANES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COASTAL REGIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
HYDROCARBONS
METHANE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SOILS
SWAMPS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
VARIATIONS
WETLANDS