One of the main sources of a very powerful greenhouse gas, methane, is found in wetlands. These flooded areas create an environment without oxygen in the soil, and microbes cause decomposition which in turn produces methane as a waste product. Wetland plants transport the methane from the soil into the atmosphere . . .
Effect of Climate Change on Carbon Cycling within the Discontinuous Permafrost Zone of Canada:
In year two of a three year research project funded by the National Science Foundation for $635,000, Dr. Gary Whiting, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science, and a group of undergraduate and graduate students spend four months each summer conducting research in northern Alberta, Canada. This CNU research team spends most of the summer measuring carbon dioxide and methane gas exchanges, a very potent greenhouse gas.
The research surrounds estimates of large methane emissions from the earth's surface originating from high latitude wetlands. The frozen soils (permafrost) of northern Alterta contain most of the world's dead plant matter (carbon). Predicted global warming may significantly alter how this carbon is processed, stored in the wetlands, and then released into the atmosphere once melting occurs.
Investigators: Dr. Gary Whiting; Dr. Jeff Chanton, Florida State University; Dr. Dale Vitt, University of Southern Illinois
Project Summary:
A large amount of the methane escapes from the earth’s surface to the atmosphere originates from high latitude wetlands (termed peatlands) of the world (above 40oN). Much of these northern regions have subsurface ground that remains frozen year-around. These frozen soils (termed permafrost) contain a large portion of the world’s dead-plant matter (carbon). Recent predictions by climatologists estimate a warming in the near future of 2 to 4 oC (4 to 7oF) for these regions. This warming may significantly alter how fast the plants grow and how the microbes process the organic matter (carbon) stored in these peatlands. The type and amount of gases released to the atmosphere may change once these peatlands melt. Of primary concern is the conversion of this stored soil carbon into methane gas, a very potent greenhouse gas. This research will examine peatlands that have areas of melting permafrost and determine how carbon processes change once melting occurs. Our objectives also include involving undergraduate students as full participants in a systems-level interdisciplinary research project.
Projects:
1. Is there a gradient of methane emission across a melt feature?
2. Does pH affect methane emission?
3. How much do mosses contribute to the carbon uptake? ID and growth measurement of local mosses.
4. Are belowground methane concentrations related to methane emission from the surface?
5. Is methane oxidation an important process controlling methane emission from the surface? |
