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Global methane emissions from rivers and streams

Author

Listed:
  • Gerard Rocher-Ros

    (Umeå University
    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC))

  • Emily H. Stanley

    (University of Wisconsin–Madison)

  • Luke C. Loken

    (United States Geological Survey)

  • Nora J. Casson

    (University of Winnipeg)

  • Peter A. Raymond

    (Yale University)

  • Shaoda Liu

    (Yale University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Giuseppe Amatulli

    (Yale University)

  • Ryan A. Sponseller

    (Umeå University)

Abstract

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas and its concentrations have tripled in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. There is evidence that global warming has increased CH4 emissions from freshwater ecosystems1,2, providing positive feedback to the global climate. Yet for rivers and streams, the controls and the magnitude of CH4 emissions remain highly uncertain3,4. Here we report a spatially explicit global estimate of CH4 emissions from running waters, accounting for 27.9 (16.7–39.7) Tg CH4 per year and roughly equal in magnitude to those of other freshwater systems5,6. Riverine CH4 emissions are not strongly temperature dependent, with low average activation energy (EM = 0.14 eV) compared with that of lakes and wetlands (EM = 0.96 eV)1. By contrast, global patterns of emissions are characterized by large fluxes in high- and low-latitude settings as well as in human-dominated environments. These patterns are explained by edaphic and climate features that are linked to anoxia in and near fluvial habitats, including a high supply of organic matter and water saturation in hydrologically connected soils. Our results highlight the importance of land–water connections in regulating CH4 supply to running waters, which is vulnerable not only to direct human modifications but also to several climate change responses on land.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerard Rocher-Ros & Emily H. Stanley & Luke C. Loken & Nora J. Casson & Peter A. Raymond & Shaoda Liu & Giuseppe Amatulli & Ryan A. Sponseller, 2023. "Global methane emissions from rivers and streams," Nature, Nature, vol. 621(7979), pages 530-535, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:621:y:2023:i:7979:d:10.1038_s41586-023-06344-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06344-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yizhu Zhu & Kevin J. Purdy & Özge Eyice & Lidong Shen & Sarah F. Harpenslager & Gabriel Yvon-Durocher & Alex J. Dumbrell & Mark Trimmer, 2020. "Disproportionate increase in freshwater methane emissions induced by experimental warming," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 10(7), pages 685-690, July.
    2. Gabriel Yvon-Durocher & Andrew P. Allen & David Bastviken & Ralf Conrad & Cristian Gudasz & Annick St-Pierre & Nguyen Thanh-Duc & Paul A. del Giorgio, 2014. "Methane fluxes show consistent temperature dependence across microbial to ecosystem scales," Nature, Nature, vol. 507(7493), pages 488-491, March.
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    1. Jie Ye & Minghan Zhuang & Mingqiu Hong & Dong Zhang & Guoping Ren & Andong Hu & Chaohui Yang & Zhen He & Shungui Zhou, 2024. "Methanogenesis in the presence of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria may contribute to global methane cycle," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.

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