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Global methane emissions from terrestrial plants.

Christopher L Butenhoff1, M Aslam Khan Khalil

  • 1Department of Physics, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon 97207, USA. psu23819@pdx.edu

Environmental Science & Technology
|July 7, 2007
PubMed
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Terrestrial plants may be a significant methane source, potentially rivaling wetlands. This study estimates plant methane emissions globally, finding they align with pre-industrial limits and do not necessitate major changes to the current methane budget.

Area of Science:

  • Biogeochemistry
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Recent studies indicate terrestrial plants could be a substantial source of methane (CH4), with global contributions ranging from 62 to 236 Tg CH4 y(-1).
  • This potential source challenges existing methane budgets, which primarily consider wetlands and other sources.
  • Confirmation and quantification of plant-derived methane emissions are crucial for accurate climate modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the global impact of methane release from terrestrial plants using preliminary measurements.
  • To extrapolate chamber-based measurements to a global scale and estimate methane emission rates.
  • To evaluate the consistency of plant methane emissions with pre-industrial atmospheric methane levels and budgets.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Extrapolation of initial chamber measurements to a global scale using novel techniques.
  • Calculation of global methane emissions from terrestrial plants, considering temperature dependencies.
  • Estimation of pre-industrial methane source strengths using the atmospheric delta13CH4 record.

Main Results:

  • Global methane emissions from terrestrial plants are estimated to be between 20 and 69 Tg CH4 y(-1).
  • Emission estimates are sensitive to the unknown temperature dependence of plant methane release.
  • Calculated pre-industrial plant emissions (25–54 Tg CH4 y(-1)) are consistent with atmospheric data and suggest lower pre-industrial wildfire methane emissions (approx. 12 Tg CH4 y(-1)).

Conclusions:

  • Methane release from terrestrial plants, as currently understood, can be integrated into the global methane budget without requiring significant revisions.
  • The findings support the inclusion of plant-mediated methane emissions in climate models.
  • Further research on the temperature sensitivity of plant methane production is warranted.