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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Measuring Dissolved Methane in Aquatic Ecosystems Using An Optical Spectroscopy Gas Analyzer

Measuring Dissolved Methane in Aquatic Ecosystems Using An Optical Spectroscopy Gas Analyzer

Published on: July 26, 2024

Large emissions from floodplain trees close the Amazon methane budget.

Sunitha R Pangala¹, Alex Enrich-Prast^2,3, Luana S Basso⁴

¹School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.

|December 7, 2017

Summary

Amazonian wetland trees are a major source of atmospheric methane (CH4), significantly underestimating regional emissions. Tree stem emissions account for half of wetland CH4 in the Amazon, crucial for understanding global methane budgets.

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Published on: September 6, 2018

Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Biogeochemistry
Atmospheric Science

Background:

Wetlands are the primary global source of atmospheric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas.
Existing methane emission inventories for the Amazon floodplain, a major tropical CH4 source, underestimate atmospheric CH4 burdens.
This discrepancy highlights a significant knowledge gap in understanding Amazonian wetland contributions to global CH4 emissions.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify methane (CH4) fluxes from Amazonian floodplain tree stems.
To identify the role of wetland trees in the Amazonian CH4 budget.
To reconcile 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' estimates of regional CH4 emissions.

Main Methods:

Measured CH4 fluxes from the stems of 2,357 individual Amazonian floodplain trees across 13 locations.
Analyzed stable carbon isotope values (δ13C) of emitted CH4 to determine origin.
Estimated regional CH4 emissions using 'top-down' atmospheric profiles (2010-2013) and compared with 'bottom-up' flux measurements.

Main Results:

Methane fluxes from Amazon tree stems were up to 200 times larger than those in temperate or peat swamp forests.
Tree stem emissions represent the dominant source of regional CH4, estimated at 15.1–21.2 Tg/year.
The isotopic signature (δ13C of -66.2 ± 6.4‰) confirms a soil biogenic origin for tree-emitted CH4.

Conclusions:

Escape of soil gas through wetland trees is the primary driver of Amazonian CH4 emissions.
Amazonian trees contribute approximately half of the region's wetland CH4 emissions, significantly impacting the global methane budget.
The study successfully reconciles 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' estimates, resolving the underestimation of Amazon CH4 emissions.