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Encyclopedia of Geobiology pp 36–47Cite as

Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane with Sulfate

  • Reference work entry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM): microbially mediated oxidation of methane to CO2 by electron acceptors other than oxygen.

Introduction

Methane is the most abundant hydrocarbon in the atmosphere, and an important greenhouse gas (see Methane, Origin). A great deal of research has focused on the cause and climatic consequences of the variation in fluxes of methane to the atmosphere, throughout the Earth’s history. Three key functional groups of microbial organisms play a central role in regulating the fluxes of methane on the Earth, namely the methanogens, the aerobic methanotrophic bacteria, and the more recently discovered anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) . It is estimated that AOM is a major sink for methane on the Earth, and of similar relevance as its photooxidation in the atmosphere (Hinrichs and Boetius, 2002; Reeburgh, 2007).

Today, most methane is produced by methanogenesis, i.e., the final step in the fermentation of organic matter taking place in soils,...

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  1. Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Katrin Knittel & Antje Boetius

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  1. Katrin Knittel
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  1. University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

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Knittel, K., Boetius, A. (2011). Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane with Sulfate. In: Reitner, J., Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_10

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