Methane flux from Minnesota peatlands

Journal Article · Thu Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Global Biogeochemical Cycles; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GB002i004p00371· OSTI ID:6711598

Crill, P M; Bartlett, K B; Harriss, R C; Gorham, E; Verry, E S ^[1]

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1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA (USA)

Northern (> 40 deg N) wetlands have been suggested as the largest natural source of methane (CH{sub 4}) to the troposphere. To refine the authors estimates of source strengths from this region and to investigate climatic controls on the process, fluxes were measured from a variety of Minnesota peatlands during May, June, and August 1986. Late spring and summer fluxes ranged from 11 to 866 mg CH{sub 4}/sq/m/day, averaging 207 mg CH{sub 4} sq/m/day overall. At Marcell Forest, forested bogs and fen sites had lower fluxes than open bogs. In the Red Lake peatland, circumneutral fens, with standing water above the peat surface, produced more methane than acid bog sites in which the water table was beneath the moss surface. Peat temperature was an important control. Methane flux increased in response to increasing soil temperature. It is estimated that the methane flux from all peatlands north of 40 deg may be on the order of 70 to 90 Tg/yr though estimates of this sort are plagued by uncertainties in the areal extent of peatlands, length of the CH{sub 4} producing season, and the spatial and temporal variability of the flux. 60 refs., 7 figs., 5 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6711598
• Journal Information: Global Biogeochemical Cycles; (USA), Journal Name: Global Biogeochemical Cycles; (USA) Vol. 2:4; ISSN GBCYE; ISSN 0886-6236
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION
ALKANES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
FEDERAL REGION V
HYDROCARBONS
METHANE
MINNESOTA
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION SOURCES
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
TROPOSPHERE
USA
VARIATIONS
WETLANDS