Arctic wetlands are known methane (CH4) emitters but recent studies suggest that the Arctic CH4sink strength may be underestimated. Here we explore the capacity of well-drained Arctic soils to consume atmospheric CH4using >40,000 hourly flux observations and spatially distributed flux measurements from 4 sites and 14 surface types. While consumption of atmospheric CH4occurred at all sites at rates of 0.092 ± 0.011 mgCH4 m−2 h−1(mean ± s.e.), CH4uptake displayed distinct diel and seasonal patterns reflecting ecosystem respiration. Combining in situ flux data with laboratory investigations and a machine learning approach, we find biotic drivers to be highly important. Soil moisture outweighed temperature as an abiotic control and higher CH4uptake was linked to increased availability of labile carbon. Our findings imply that soil drying and enhanced nutrient supply will promote CH4uptake by Arctic soils, providing a negative feedback to global climate change.
This content will become publicly available on September 1, 2025
The grassland biome is an important sink for atmospheric methane (CH4), a major greenhouse gas. There is considerable uncertainty in the grassland CH4sink capacity due to diverse environmental gradients in which grasslands occur, and many environmental conditions can affect abiotic (e.g., CH4diffusivity into soils) and biotic (e.g., methanotrophy) factors that determine spatial and temporal CH4dynamics. We investigated the relative importance of a soil's gas diffusivity versus net methanotroph activity in 22 field plots in seven sites distributed across the US Great Plains by making approximately biweekly measures during the growing seasons over 3 years. We quantified net methanotroph activity and diffusivity by using an approach combining a gas tracer, chamber headspace measurements, and a mathematical model. At each plot, we also measured environmental characteristics, including water‐filled pore space (WFPS), soil temperature, and inorganic nitrogen contents, and examined the relative importance of these for controlling diffusivity and net methanotroph activity. At most of the plots across the seven sites, CH4uptake rates were consistently greatest when WFPS was intermediate at the plot level. Our results show that variation in net methanotroph activity was more important than diffusivity in explaining temporal variations in net CH4uptake, but the two factors were equally important for driving spatial variation across the seven sites. WFPS was a significant predictor for diffusivity only in plots with sandy soils. WFPS was the most important control on net methanotroph activity, with net methanotroph activity showing a parabolic response to WFPS (concave down), and the shape of this response differed significantly among sites. Moreover, we found that the WFPS level at peak net methanotroph activity was strongly correlated with the mean annual precipitation of the site. These results suggest that the local precipitation regime determines unique sensitivity of CH4uptake rates to soil moisture. Our findings indicate that grassland CH4uptake may be predicted using local soil water conditions. More variable soil moisture, potentially induced through predicted future extremes of rainfall and drought, could reduce grassland CH4sink capacity in the future.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 2025849
- PAR ID:
- 10547662
- Publisher / Repository:
- ESA
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Ecosphere
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2150-8925
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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