Phenology is the dominant control of methane emissions in a tropical non-forested wetland

Helfter, Carole ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5773-4652; Gondwe, Mangaliso; Murray-Hudson, Michael; Makati, Anastacia; Lunt, Mark F.; Palmer, Paul I.; Skiba, Ute ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8659-6092. 2022 Phenology is the dominant control of methane emissions in a tropical non-forested wetland. Nature Communications, 13, 133. 11, pp. 10.1038/s41467-021-27786-4

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27786-4

Abstract/Summary

Tropical wetlands are a significant source of atmospheric methane (CH4), but their importance to the global CH4 budget is uncertain due to a paucity of direct observations. Net wetland emissions result from complex interactions and co-variation between microbial production and oxidation in the soil, and transport to the atmosphere. Here we show that phenology is the overarching control of net CH4 emissions to the atmosphere from a permanent, vegetated tropical swamp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, and we find that vegetative processes modulate net CH4 emissions at sub-daily to inter-annual timescales. Without considering the role played by papyrus on regulating the efflux of CH4 to the atmosphere, the annual budget for the entire Okavango Delta, would be under- or over-estimated by a factor of two. Our measurements demonstrate the importance of including vegetative processes such as phenological cycles into wetlands emission budgets of CH4.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1038/s41467-021-27786-4
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2041-1723
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	carbon cycle
NORA Subject Terms:	Earth Sciences Ecology and Environment Agriculture and Soil Science Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	21 Jan 2022 12:53 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531799

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1038/s41467-021-27786-4

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects (Science Area 2017-)

ISSN:

2041-1723

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.

Additional Keywords:

carbon cycle