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Updated: Sep 16, 2025
05:00
Measuring Dissolved Methane in Aquatic Ecosystems Using An Optical Spectroscopy Gas Analyzer
Published on: July 26, 2024
602
Rainfall can significantly reduce pond methane emissions by depressing ebullition.
Xueqi Niu1, Zhifeng Yan2, Wenxin Wu3
1Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China.
Water Research
|July 10, 2025
Summary
Rainfall significantly reduces methane (CH4) emissions from urban ponds, primarily by decreasing methane ebullition. Understanding this impact is crucial for accurate global methane emission estimates.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Climate Science
Background:
- Small freshwater bodies, such as ponds, are significant sources of methane (CH4) emissions.
- The influence of rainfall on CH4 fluxes from these aquatic ecosystems is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of rainfall events on CH4 fluxes from an urban pond.
- To quantify changes in CH4 ebullition and diffusion rates before, during, and after rainfall.
Main Methods:
- Continuous, high-frequency measurements of CH4 ebullition and diffusion were conducted over a full rainy season.
- Data were collected across 15 rainfall events with varying precipitation levels (3.5 to 66.9 mm).
Main Results:
- Mean total CH4 emission flux decreased from 7.1 ± 3.5 mg m-2 h-1 before rainfall to 3.9 ± 2.7 mg m-2 h-1 after rainfall.
- CH4 emissions gradually recovered 12 hours post-rainfall, attributed to temperature drops and rainwater dilution.
- Excluding rainfall's impact led to a 35.3% overestimation of total CH4 emissions, with ebullition being the primary driver.
Conclusions:
- Rainfall significantly suppresses CH4 emissions from urban ponds, particularly CH4 ebullition.
- Accurate global CH4 emission estimates require incorporating the effects of rainfall on small water bodies.
- High-frequency monitoring during and after rainfall is essential for improving emission inventories.
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