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Thermokarst Lakes as a Source of Atmospheric CH4 During the Last Deglaciation

Thermokarst Lakes as a Source of Atmospheric CH4 During the Last Deglaciation
Thermokarst Lakes as a Source of Atmospheric CH4 During the Last Deglaciation
Polar ice-core records suggest that an arctic or boreal source was responsible for more than 30% of the large increase in global atmospheric methane (CH4) concentration during deglacial climate warming; however, specific sources of that CH4 are still debated. Here we present an estimate of past CH4 flux during deglaciation from bubbling from thermokarst (thaw) lakes. Based on high rates of CH4 bubbling from contemporary arctic thermokarst lakes, high CH4 production potentials of organic matter from Pleistocene-aged frozen sediments, and estimates of the changing extent of these deposits as thermokarst lakes developed during deglaciation, we find that CH4 bubbling from newly forming thermokarst lakes comprised 33 to 87% of the high-latitude increase in atmospheric methane concentration and, in turn, contributed to the climate warming at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.
0036-8075
633-636
Walter, K.M.
cc180230-9993-4b30-94bb-5c95a6e8e014
Edwards, M.E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Grosse, G.
d4399c78-a5f9-4ab7-abcc-4d447f0846a9
Zimov, S.A.
11faf950-709f-4804-a74e-94ff76a23273
Chapin III, F.S.
0825a100-bcda-4782-afbe-d1a6cec17b11
Walter, K.M.
cc180230-9993-4b30-94bb-5c95a6e8e014
Edwards, M.E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Grosse, G.
d4399c78-a5f9-4ab7-abcc-4d447f0846a9
Zimov, S.A.
11faf950-709f-4804-a74e-94ff76a23273
Chapin III, F.S.
0825a100-bcda-4782-afbe-d1a6cec17b11

Walter, K.M., Edwards, M.E., Grosse, G., Zimov, S.A. and Chapin III, F.S. (2007) Thermokarst Lakes as a Source of Atmospheric CH4 During the Last Deglaciation. Science, 318 (5850), 633-636. (doi:10.1126/science.1142924).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Polar ice-core records suggest that an arctic or boreal source was responsible for more than 30% of the large increase in global atmospheric methane (CH4) concentration during deglacial climate warming; however, specific sources of that CH4 are still debated. Here we present an estimate of past CH4 flux during deglaciation from bubbling from thermokarst (thaw) lakes. Based on high rates of CH4 bubbling from contemporary arctic thermokarst lakes, high CH4 production potentials of organic matter from Pleistocene-aged frozen sediments, and estimates of the changing extent of these deposits as thermokarst lakes developed during deglaciation, we find that CH4 bubbling from newly forming thermokarst lakes comprised 33 to 87% of the high-latitude increase in atmospheric methane concentration and, in turn, contributed to the climate warming at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.

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Published date: 26 October 2007

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 49328
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/49328
ISSN: 0036-8075
PURE UUID: 12c2a2f9-303a-4e33-b2bd-ccc6ea35b4d4
ORCID for M.E. Edwards: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3490-6682

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Date deposited: 30 Oct 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:27

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Contributors

Author: K.M. Walter
Author: M.E. Edwards ORCID iD
Author: G. Grosse
Author: S.A. Zimov
Author: F.S. Chapin III

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