Spatially resolved isotopic source signatures of wetland methane emissions

Ganesan, A.L.; Stell, A.C.; Gedney, N.; Comyn-Platt, E.; Hayman, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3825-4156; Rigby, M.; Poulter, B.; Hornibrook, E.R.C.. 2018 Spatially resolved isotopic source signatures of wetland methane emissions. Geophysical Research Letters, 45 (8). 3737-3745. https://doi.org/10.1002/2018GL077536

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Abstract/Summary

We present the first spatially‐resolved wetland δ13C(CH4) source signature map based on data characterizing wetland ecosystems and demonstrate good agreement with wetland signatures derived from atmospheric observations. The source signature map resolves a latitudinal difference of ~10‰ between northern high‐latitude (mean ‐67.8‰) and tropical (mean ‐56.7‰) wetlands, and shows significant regional variations on top of the latitudinal gradient. We assess the errors in inverse modeling studies aiming to separate CH4 sources and sinks by comparing atmospheric δ13C(CH4) derived using our spatially‐resolved map against the common assumption of globally uniform wetland δ13C(CH4) signature. We find a larger interhemispheric gradient, a larger high‐latitude seasonal cycle and smaller trend over the period 2000‐2012. The implication is that erroneous CH4 fluxes would be derived to compensate for the biases imposed by not utilizing spatially‐resolved signatures for the largest source of CH4 emissions. These biases are significant when compared to the size of observed signals.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1002/2018GL077536
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Hydro-climate Risks (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	0094-8276
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	wetlands, methane, greenhouse gas, isotopes
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	18 Apr 2018 09:57 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519853

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