Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-7-14011-2007
https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-7-14011-2007
28 Sep 2007
 | 28 Sep 2007
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal ACP. A revision for further review has not been submitted.

Methane emissions from boreal and tropical forest ecosystems derived from in-situ measurements

V. Sinha, J. Williams, P. J. Crutzen, and J. Lelieveld

Abstract. Methane is a climatologically important greenhouse gas, which plays a key role in regulating water vapour in the stratosphere and hydroxyl radicals in the troposphere. Recent findings that vegetation emits methane have stimulated efforts to ascertain the impact of this source on the global budget. In this work, we present the results of high frequency (ca. 1 min−1) methane measurements conducted in the boreal forests of Finland and the tropical forests of Suriname, in April–May, 2005 and October 2005 respectively. The measurements were performed using a gas chromatograph – flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The average of the median mixing ratios during a typical diel cycle were 1.83 μmol mol−1 and 1.74 μmol mol−1 for the boreal forest ecosystem and tropical forest ecosystem respectively, with remarkable similarity in the time series of both the boreal and tropical diel profiles. Night time methane emission flux of the boreal forest ecosystem, calculated from the increase of methane during the night and measured nocturnal boundary layer heights yields a flux of (3.62±0.87)×1011 molecules cm−2 s−1(or 45.5±11 Tg CH4 yr−1 for global boreal forest area). This is a source contribution of circa 8% of the global methane budget. These results highlight the importance of the boreal and tropical forest ecosystems for the global budget of methane. The results are also discussed in the context of recent work reporting high methane mixing ratios over tropical forests using space borne near infra-red spectroscopy measurements.

V. Sinha, J. Williams, P. J. Crutzen, and J. Lelieveld
 
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
 
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
V. Sinha, J. Williams, P. J. Crutzen, and J. Lelieveld
V. Sinha, J. Williams, P. J. Crutzen, and J. Lelieveld

Viewed

Total article views: 2,030 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
978 933 119 2,030 98 112
  • HTML: 978
  • PDF: 933
  • XML: 119
  • Total: 2,030
  • BibTeX: 98
  • EndNote: 112
Views and downloads (calculated since 01 Feb 2013)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 01 Feb 2013)

Cited

Saved

Latest update: 28 Mar 2024
Download
Altmetrics