Torben R. Christensen

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Torben R. Christensen. Nature 456, xiii (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/7222xiiia

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Published: 01 December 2008
Issue Date: 04 December 2008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/7222xiiia
Springer Nature Limited

Editorial Summary

Permafrost methane: Arctic emissions revisited

A late-autumn 'shoulder' is a regular feature of the seasonal cycles of atmospheric methane at high latitudes, but the sources of this burst of methane remain obscure. Mastepanov et al. now report methane flux measurements from a high Arctic setting during the onset of soil freezing. The total emissions during this freeze-in period are roughly equal to the amount of methane emitted during the entire summer season. Including the observed methane burst in an atmospheric chemistry and transport model improves agreement between the simulated seasonal cycle and atmospheric data from latitudes north of 600N. These results suggest that permafrost-associated freeze-in bursts of methane from tundra regions may be an important, previously unrecognized component of the seasonal distribution of methane emissions at high latitudes.

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