Abstract
EMISSION of methane from tundra soil contributes about 10% of the global atmospheric methane budget1. Moreover, tundra soils contain 15% of global soil carbon2, so the response of this large carbon reservoir to projected global warming3,4 could be important. Coupled biological models3–6 predict that a warmer climate will increase methane emission through increased rates of methanogenesis. Microbial oxidation of methane is, however, a possible control on emissions that has previously been overlooked. Here we report the results of field and laboratory experiments on methane consumption by tundra soils. For methane concentrations ranging from below to well above ambient, moist soils were found to consume methane rapidly; in non-waterlogged soils, equilibration with atmospheric methane was fast relative to microbial oxidation. We conclude that lowering of the water table in tundra as a result of a warmer, drier climate will decrease methane fluxes and could cause these areas to provide a negative feedback for atmospheric methane.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cicerone, R. J. & Oremland, R. S. Global biogeochem. Cycles 2, 299–327 (1988).
Post W. M., Emanuel, W. R., Zinke, P. J. & Stangenberger, A. J. Nature 298, 156–159 (1982).
Khalil, M. A. K. & Rasmussen, R. A. Tellus B41, 554–559 (1989).
Lashof, D. A. Clim. Change 14, 213–242 (1989).
Guthrie P. D. J. geophys. Res. 91, 10847–10851 (1986).
Hameed, S. & Cess, R. D. Tellus B35, 1–7 (1983).
Steele, L. P. et al. J. atmos. Chem. 5, 125–171 (1987).
Blake, D. R. & Rowland, F. S. Science 239, 1129–1131 (1988).
Dickinson, R. E. & Cicerone, R. J. Nature 319, 109–115 (1986).
Mitchell, J. F. B. Rev. Geophys. 27, 115–139 (1989).
Ramanathan, V. et al. Rev. Geophys. 25, 1441–1482 (1987).
Enhalt, D. Tellus 26, 59–70 (1974).
Manabe, S. & Wetherald, R. T. J. atmos. Chem. 44, 1211–1235 (1987).
Schlesinger, M. E. & Zhao, Z-C. J. Clim. 2, 459–495 (1989).
Wilson, C. A. & Mitchell, F. B. J. geophys. Res. 92, 13315–13343 (1987).
Born, M., Dörr, H. & Levin, I. Tellus B42, 2–8 (1990).
Steudler, P. A., Bowden, R. D., Melillo, J. M. & Aber, J. D. Nature 341, 314–316 (1989).
Keller, M., Goreau, T. J., Wofsey, S. C., Kaplan, W. A. & McElroy, M. B. Geophys. Res. Lett. 12, 1156–1159 (1983).
Harriss, R. C., Sebacher, D. I. & Day, F. P. Nature 297, 673–674.
Goreau, T. J. & de Mello, W. Z. Ambio 17, 274–281 (1988).
Seiler, W. & Conrad, R. in Geophysiology of the Amazonia: Vegetation and Climate Interactions (ed. Dickinson, R. E.) 133–162 (Wiley, New York, 1987).
Keller, M., Kaplan, W. A. & Wofsey, S. C. J. geophys. Res. 91, 11791–11802 (1986).
Seiler, W., Conrad, R. & Scharffe, D. J. atmos. Chem. 1, 171–186 (1984).
Whalen, S. C. & Reeburgh, W. S. Tellus B42, 237–249 (1990).
King, S. L., Quay, P. D. & Lansdown, J. M. J. geophys. Res. 94, 18273–18277 (1989).
Whalen, S. C. & Reeburgh, W. S. Global biogeochem. Cycles 2, 399–408 (1988).
Alperin, M. J. & Reeburgh, W. S. Appl. envir. Microbiol. 50, 940–945 (1985).
Woeller, F. H. Analyt. Biochem. 2, 508–511 (1961).
Sparks, D. L. Kinetics of Soil Chemical Processes (Academic, San Diego, 1989).
Bédard, C. & Knowles, R. Microbiol. Rev. 53, 68–84 (1989).
Hutchinson, G. L. & Mosier, A. R. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 45, 311–316 (1981).
Conrad, R. in Current Perspectives in Microbial Ecology (eds Klug, M. J. & Reddy, C. A.) 461–467 (Am. Soc. Microbiol., Washington, DC (1984).
Ward, B. B. Arch. Mikrobiol. 147, 126–133 (1987).
Sebacher, D. I., Harriss, R. C., Bartlett, K. B., Sebacher, S. M. & Grice, S. S. Tellus B38, 1–10 (1986).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Whalen, S., Reeburgh, W. Consumption of atmospheric methane by tundra soils. Nature 346, 160–162 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/346160a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/346160a0
This article is cited by
-
Arctic soil methane sink increases with drier conditions and higher ecosystem respiration
Nature Climate Change (2023)
-
Effects of Plant Community Type on Soil Methane Flux in Semiarid Loess Hilly Region, Central Gansu Province, China
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences (2022)
-
Seasonal Effluxes of Greenhouse Gases Under Different Tillage and N Fertilizer Management in a Dryland Maize Mono-crop
Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (2021)
-
Net regional methane sink in High Arctic soils of northeast Greenland
Nature Geoscience (2015)
-
An active atmospheric methane sink in high Arctic mineral cryosols
The ISME Journal (2015)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.