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Methane Emission from a Freshwater Wetland in Belgium
Author(s) -
Boeckx Pascal,
Van Cleemput Oswald
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1997.03615995006100040035x
Subject(s) - methane , drainage , environmental science , wetland , environmental chemistry , water content , methane emissions , moisture , hydrology (agriculture) , chemistry , soil science , geology , ecology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , biology
Some factors influencing methane emission from a freshwater wetland in Belgium were studied. Seasonal fluctuations of methane emission rates, influence of drainage capacity and depth of methane production on methane emission, as well as in situ methane oxidation were monitored. From March until December, methane fluxes varying between 0 and 102 mg CH 4 m −2 d −1 were measured. During this period, a total emission of 60 kg CH 4 ha −1 was calculated. Statistical analysis of these emission data showed that soil moisture was a more important controlling parameter than soil temperature. Depending on the drainage capacity of the selected area, different emission rates were observed. Sites with a “bad natural drainage” and a “fairly bad natural drainage” showed average fluxes of 5.41 and 2.04 mg CH 4 m −2 d −1 , respectively, during July. The area with an “insufficient natural drainage” had an emission of 1.44 mg CH 4 m −2 d −1 . Using methyl fluoride as a specific inhibitor for methane oxidation, it was found that 34 to 67% of the produced methane could be oxidized. Methane emission was found to decrease with increasing soil depth. With diffusion chambers placed on the soil surface, a CH 4 release of 40.0 kg CH 4 ha −1 (March–June) was found. With chambers placed at 150‐ and 300‐mm depths, emission rates of 11.3 and 3.3 kg CH 4 ha −1 , respectively, were calculated. Obviously, most of the emitted methane was produced in the upper organic soil layer.