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Methane fluxes, concentrations, and production in two Adirondack beaver impoundments
Author(s) -
Yavitt Joseph B.,
Angell Lisa L.,
Fahey Timothy J.,
Cirmo Christopher P.,
Driscoll Charles T.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1992.37.5.1057
Subject(s) - beaver , methane , wetland , sediment , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , dissolved organic carbon , petroleum seep , environmental chemistry , chemistry , ecology , geology , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , biology , organic chemistry
We measured methane release into the atmosphere, concentrations and fluxes of dissolved methane, and rates of methane production by peats in two beaver impoundments in the Adirondack Park region of New York to determine whether such impoundments are a significant source of atmospheric methane. In 1990, methane release rates were similar between impoundments and averaged 705 and 600 pmol cm −2 min −1 (i.e. 162 and 138 mg CH 4 m −2 d −1 ). Water‐column concentrations of dissolved CH 4 were lower in one impoundment (33 µ M) than in the other (158 µ M). Rates of CH 4 production by underlying peats were similar between impoundments and averaged 34.7 and 25.1 pmol cm −3 min −1 . In both impoundments, CH 4 oxidation in the water and at the sediment‐water interface seemed to be an important factor controlling its release. Moss‐dominated wetlands adjacent to the impoundments had at least tenfold lower release rates for CH 4 and fivefold lower concentrations of dissolved CH 4 . Beaver impoundments in woodland streams appear to be important local sources of atmospheric CH 4 . Enhanced CH 4 cycling in these systems compared to that in local wetlands could be due to altered hydrology, increased retention of sediment and organic matter caused by beaver activities, or both.