Measurements of methane fluxes on the landscape scale from a wetland area on north Scotland

Gallagher, MW; Choularton, TW; Bower, KN; Stromberg, IM; Beswick, KM; Fowler, D; Hargreaves, KJ. 1994 Measurements of methane fluxes on the landscape scale from a wetland area on north Scotland. Atmospheric Environment, 28 (15). 2421-2430. https://doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)90394-8

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)90394-8

Abstract/Summary

Atmospheric profiles of methane have been measured using an aircraft over an area of natural wetland in Northern Britain, Caithness and Sutherland, in Scotland. The measurements showed a clear horizontal gradient in methane concentration as air was advected over the wetland area from the Atlantic Ocean and a strong decrease in concentration in the vertical. The data, together with those from ground-based measurements including continuous measurements at an instrumented field site, were used to estimate area averaged fluxes using a simple diffusion model. The mean flux for the region was calculated to be 0.91 ± 0.51 μg m 2s−1. Methane source strengths for the NW region of Scotland were a factor of 2–3 times larger than for the NE region. Nocturnal methane fluxes were estimated at the field site from temporal concentration changes in methane near the surface and doppler sodar measurements of the boundary layer depth. Night time fluxes were found to be 0.45 ± 0.28 μg m−2s−1 and were comparable to those measured using the flux gradient technique at the same site. The aircraft area averaged fluxes were typically a factor of 2–4 times larger than those measured by cuvette techniques at the surface. This was probably due to the dryness of the site relative to the are to the west.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)90394-8
Programmes:	CEH Programmes pre-2009 publications > Biogeochemistry
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	_ Pre-2000 sections
ISSN:	1352-2310
Additional Keywords:	Methane fluxes, wetland, aircraft, diffusion
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	13 May 2009 12:07 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/6307

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)90394-8

Programmes:

CEH Programmes pre-2009 publications > Biogeochemistry

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

_ Pre-2000 sections

ISSN:

1352-2310

Additional Keywords:

Methane fluxes, wetland, aircraft, diffusion