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Isotopic Ratios of Tropical Methane Emissions by Atmospheric Measurement
Author(s) -
Brownlow R.,
Lowry D.,
Fisher R. E.,
France J. L.,
Lanoisellé M.,
White B.,
Wooster M. J.,
Zhang T.,
Nisbet E. G.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1002/2017gb005689
Subject(s) - methane , environmental science , wetland , temperate climate , tropics , atmospheric methane , atmosphere (unit) , biomass (ecology) , methane emissions , biomass burning , fossil fuel , atmospheric sciences , greenhouse gas , methanogenesis , environmental chemistry , ecology , chemistry , geology , meteorology , aerosol , geography , biology
Tropical methane sources are an important part of the global methane budget and include natural wetlands, rice agriculture, biomass burning, ruminants, fossil fuels, and waste. δ 13 C CH4 can provide strong constraints on methane source apportionment. For example, tropical wetlands in this study give δ 13 C CH4 values between −61.5 ± 2.9‰ and −53.0 ± 0.4‰ and in general are more enriched in 13 C than temperate and boreal wetlands. However, thus far, relatively few measurements of δ 13 C CH4 in methane‐enriched air have been made in the tropics. In this study samples have been collected from tropical wetland, rice, ruminant, and biomass burning emissions to the atmosphere. Regional isotopic signatures vary greatly as different processes and source material affect methane signatures. Measurements were made to determine bulk source inputs to the atmosphere, rather than to study individual processes. These measurements provide inputs for regional methane budget models, to constrain emissions with better source apportionment.