Carbon-14 in methane sources and in atmospheric methane: The contribution from fossil carbon

Journal Article · Fri Jul 21 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.245.4915.286· OSTI ID:7155667

Wahlen, M; Tanaka, N; Henry, R; Deck, B; Zeglen, J ^[1]; Vogel, J S; Southon, J ^[2]; Shemesh, A; Fairbanks, R; Broecker, W ^[3]

---

1. New York State Department of Health, Albany (USA)
2. Simon Fraser Univ., Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada)
3. Columbia Univ., Palisades, NY (USA)

Measurements of carbon-14 in small samples of methane from major biogenic sources, from biomass burning, and in clean air samples from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres reveal that methane from ruminants contains contemporary carbon, whereas that from wetlands, peat bogs, rice fields, and tundra is somewhat, depleted in carbon-14. Atmospheric {sup 14}CH{sub 4} seems to have increased from 1986 to 1987, and levels at the end of 1987 were 123.3 {plus minus} 0.8% modern carbon (pMC) in the Northern Hemisphere and 120.0 {plus minus} 0.7 pMC in the Southern Hemisphere. Model calculations of source partitioning based on the carbon-14 data, CH{sub 4} concentrations, and {delta}{sup 13}C in CH{sub 4} indicate that 21 {plus minus} 3% of atmospheric CH{sub 4} was derived from fossil carbon at the end of 1987. The data also indicate that pressurized water reactors are an increasingly important source of {sup 14}CH{sub 4}. 38 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 7155667
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (USA), Vol. 245:4915; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CARBON ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE RATIO
METHANE
ABUNDANCE
BIOMASS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
TUNDRA
WETLANDS
ALKANES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
HYDROCARBONS
ISOTOPES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
400202* - Isotope Effects
Isotope Exchange
& Isotope Separation
540130 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)