Production, oxidation, emission and consumption of methane by soils: A review
TL;DR: In this article, the anaerobic zones of submerged soils by methanogens and methanotrophs are oxidised into CO2 in the aerobic zones of wetland soils and in upland soils.
About: This article is published in European Journal of Soil Biology.The article was published on 2001-01-01. It has received 1743 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Anaerobic oxidation of methane & Methanogenesis.
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TL;DR: In this article, the economic potential of agricultural practices, such as water and rice management, set-aside, land use change and agroforestry, livestock management and manure management, is estimated.
Abstract: Agricultural lands occupy 37% of the earth's land surface. Agriculture accounts for 52 and 84% of global anthropogenic methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Agricultural soils may also act as a sink or source for CO2, but the net flux is small. Many agricultural practices can potentially mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the most prominent of which are improved cropland and grazing land management and restoration of degraded lands and cultivated organic soils. Lower, but still significant mitigation potential is provided by water and rice management, set-aside, land use change and agroforestry, livestock management and manure management. The global technical mitigation potential from agriculture (excluding fossil fuel offsets from biomass) by 2030, considering all gases, is estimated to be approximately 5500–6000 Mt CO2-eq. yr−1, with economic potentials of approximately 1500–1600, 2500–2700 and 4000–4300 Mt CO2-eq. yr−1 at carbon prices of up to 20, up to 50 and up to 100 US$ t CO2-eq.−1, respectively. In addition, GHG emissions could be reduced by substitution of fossil fuels for energy production by agricultural feedstocks (e.g. crop residues, dung and dedicated energy crops). The economic mitigation potential of biomass energy from agriculture is estimated to be 640, 2240 and 16 000 Mt CO2-eq. yr−1 at 0–20, 0–50 and 0–100 US$ t CO2-eq.−1, respectively.
2,002 citations
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TL;DR: ‘state of the art’ soil greenhouse gas research is highlighted, mitigation practices and potentials are summarized, gaps in data and understanding are identified and ways to close such gaps are suggested through new research, technology and collaboration.
Abstract: Soils are integral to the function of all terrestrial ecosystems and to food and fibre production. An overlooked aspect of soils is their potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Although proven practices exist, the implementation of soil-based greenhouse gas mitigation activities are at an early stage and accurately quantifying emissions and reductions remains a substantial challenge. Emerging research and information technology developments provide the potential for a broader inclusion of soils in greenhouse gas policies. Here we highlight 'state of the art' soil greenhouse gas research, summarize mitigation practices and potentials, identify gaps in data and understanding and suggest ways to close such gaps through new research, technology and collaboration.
1,221 citations
TL;DR: An up-to-date synthesis of estimates of global CH4 emissions from wetlands and other freshwater aquatic ecosystems is provided, major biogeophysical controls over CH4 emitters from wetlands are summarized, new frontiers in CH4 biogeochemistry are suggested, and relationships between methanogen community structure and CH4 dynamics in situ are examined.
Abstract: Understanding the dynamics of methane (CH4) emissions is of paramount importance because CH4 has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide (CO2) and is currently the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas. Wetlands are the single largest natural CH4 source with median emissions from published studies of 164 Tg yr 1 , which is about a third of total global emissions. We provide a perspective on important new frontiers in obtaining a better understanding of CH4 dynamics in natural systems, with a focus on wetlands. One of the most exciting recent developments in this field is the attempt to integrate the different methodologies and spatial scales of biogeochemistry, molecular microbiology, and modeling, and thus this is a major focus of this review. Our specific objectives are to provide an up-to-date synthesis of estimates of global CH4 emissions from wetlands and other freshwater aquatic ecosystems, briefly summarize major biogeophysical controls over CH4 emissions from wetlands, suggest new frontiers in CH4 biogeochemistry, examine relationships between methanogen community structure and CH4 dynamics in situ, and to review the current generation of CH4 models. We highlight throughout some of the most pressing issues concerning global change and feedbacks on CH4 emissions from natural ecosystems. Major uncertainties in estimating current and future CH4 emissions from natural ecosystems include the following: (i) A number of important controls over CH4 production, consumption, and transport have not been, or are inadequately, incorporated into existing CH4 biogeochemistry models. (ii) Significant errors in regional and global emission estimates are derived from large spatial-scale extrapolations from highly heterogeneous and often poorly mapped wetland complexes. (iii) The limited number of observations of CH4 fluxes and their associated environmental variables loosely constrains the parameterization of process-based biogeochemistry models.
847 citations
Cites background from "Production, oxidation, emission and..."
...An overview of relevant processes is presented here, but other recent reviews summarize these processes in greater detail (Le Mer & Roger, 2001; Blodau, 2002; Megonigal et al., 2004; Lai, 2009; Laanbroek, 2010)....
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...While the microbial community dynamics of both processes are important for understanding CH4 fluxes, others have reviewed the ecology and biology of aerobic methanotrophs (Le Mer & Roger, 2001; Trotsenko & Murrell, 2008; Semrau et al., 2010; Borrel et al., 2011)....
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...There is an extensive literature on many aspects of this topic, including several recent reviews (Le Mer & Roger, 2001; Blodau, 2002; Megonigal et al., 2004; Lai, 2009; Laanbroek, 2010)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyse C storage data in some tropical agroforestry systems and discuss the role they can play in reducing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
830 citations
Cites background from "Production, oxidation, emission and..."
...paddy cultivation, N fertilisation and animal production (Dixon, 1995; Le Mer and Roger, 2001)....
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TL;DR: The purpose of this minireview is to summarise and balance the data on the regulatory role of nitrogen in the consumption of methane by soils and sediments, and stimulate the scientific community to embark on experiments to close the existing gap in knowledge.
701 citations
Cites background from "Production, oxidation, emission and..."
...soils can be a¡ected by a vast array of environmental factors, as has been extensively investigated and reviewed [3,7,17]....
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...For a detailed discussion on the literature addressing this aspect, some excellent papers can be consulted [3,7,16,17]....
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...arable) are regarded as the only biological sink of atmospheric methane and are responsible for 6% of the global methane consumption [3]....
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...Rice paddies Rice paddies are among the most prominent methane sources on earth [3]....
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...The contribution of these ecosystems to the annual global methane emission has been estimated at 55% [3]....
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References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the major dissolved carbon species in diagenetic settings are represented by the two carbon redox endmembers CH4 and CO2, and they can be tracked with the aid of carbon ( 13 C / 12 C ) and hydrogen ( D/H≡ 2 H/ 1 H ) isotopes.
2,589 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify and evaluate several constraints on the budget of atmospheric methane, its sources, sinks and residence time, and construct a list of sources and sinks, identities, and sizes.
Abstract: Methane is the most abundant organic chemical in Earth's atmosphere, and its concentration is increasing with time, as a variety of independent measurements have shown. Photochemical reactions oxidize methane in the atmosphere; through these reactions, methane exerts strong influence over the chemistry of the troposphere and the stratosphere and many species including ozone, hydroxyl radicals, and carbon monoxide. Also, through its infrared absorption spectrum, methane is an important greenhouse gas in the climate system. We describe and enumerate key roles and reactions. Then we focus on two kinds of methane production: microbial and thermogenic. Microbial methanogenesis is described, and key organisms and substrates are identified along with their properties and habitats. Microbial methane oxidation limits the release of methane from certain methanogenic areas. Both aerobic and anaerobic oxidation are described here along with methods to measure rates of methane production and oxidation experimentally. Indicators of the origin of methane, including C and H isotopes, are reviewed. We identify and evaluate several constraints on the budget of atmospheric methane, its sources, sinks and residence time. From these constraints and other data on sources and sinks we construct a list of sources and sinks, identities, and sizes. The quasi-steady state (defined in the text) annual source (or sink) totals about 310(±60) × 1012 mol (500(±95) × 1012 g), but there are many remaining uncertainties in source and sink sizes and several types of data that could lead to stronger constraints and revised estimates in the future. It is particularly difficult to identify enough sources of radiocarbon-free methane.
1,513 citations
"Production, oxidation, emission and..." refers background in this paper
...Methane is chemically very reactive and is therefore involved in changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere [34]....
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TL;DR: The authors reviewed the current understanding of mechanisms that are, or may be, acting to cause climate change over the past century, with an emphasis on those due to human activity, and discussed the general level of confidence in these estimates and areas of remaining uncertainty.
Abstract: Our current understanding of mechanisms that are, or may be, acting to cause climate change over the past century is briefly reviewed, with an emphasis on those due to human activity. The paper discusses the general level of confidence in these estimates and areas of remaining uncertainty. The effects of increases in the so-called well-mixed greenhouse gases, and in particular carbon dioxide, appear to be the dominant mechanism. However, there are considerable uncertainties in our estimates of many other forcing mechanisms; those associated with the so-called indirect aerosol forcing (whereby changes in aerosols can impact on cloud properties) may be the most serious, as its climatic effect may be of a similar size as, but opposite sign to, that due to carbon dioxide. The possible role of volcanic eruptions as a natural climate change mechanism is also highlighted.
1,403 citations
Book•
08 May 1981
TL;DR: Assembles and summarizes available information from rice research in the world's major rice-growing areas to delineate the principles and practices of rice production for both developed and underdeveloped countries.
Abstract: Assembles and summarizes available information from rice research in the world's major rice-growing areas to delineate the principles and practices of rice production for both developed and underdeveloped countries. Topics include: The importance of rice; environments; the chemistry of submerged rice soils; growth and development stages varietal development and seed production; systems of cultivation and management of land, water, soil fertility, and fertilizer; diseases, weed, and pests & their control; the technology of harvesting and post-harvesting; and the biological and socioeconomic barriers to his yields.
1,154 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identified soil factors that retard mineralization of C in soils from correlations of C contents of soils with other properties such as clay content and base status, and showed that the rate and extent of C mineralization depends on the chemistry of the added organic matter and interaction with clays of the microbial biomass and metabolites.
Abstract: The turnover of C in soils is controlled mainly by water regimes and temperature, but is modified by factors such as size and physicochemical properties of C additions in litter or root systems, distribution of C throughout the soil as root systems, or addition as litter, distribution of C within the soil matrix and its interaction with clay surfaces. Soil factors which retard mineralization of C in soils are identified from correlations of C contents of soils with other properties such as clay content and base status. The rate and extent of C mineralization depends on the chemistry of the added organic matter and interaction with clays of the microbial biomass and metabolites. The organomineral interactions are shown to depend on cation bridges involving mainly Ca in neutral to alkaline soils, Al in acid soils and adsorption of organic materials on iron oxide surfaces. The various organomineral interactions lead to aggregations of clay particles and organic materials, which stabilizes both soil structure and the carbon compounds within the aggregates.
1,108 citations