Fate of methane in canals draining tropical peatlands
Methane surveys in Indonesian peat‑drainage canals show methanotrophs consume ~76% of potential CH₄ emissions, cutting fluxes by ~70 mg m⁻² d⁻¹. Because canals drain most regional peatlands, CH₄ oxidation strongly shapes landscape‑scale methane release and its isotopic signature.
Subject Tags
- Carbon storage
- Wetlands
Abstract
Tropical wetlands and freshwaters are major contributors to the growing atmospheric methane (CH4) burden. Extensive peatland drainage has lowered CH4 emissions from peat soils in Southeast Asia, but the canals draining these peatlands may be hotspots of CH4 emissions. Alternatively, CH4 oxidation (consumption) by methanotrophic microorganisms may attenuate emissions. Here, we used laboratory experiments and a synoptic survey of the isotopic composition of CH4 in 34 canals across West Kalimantan, Indonesia to quantify the proportion of CH4 that is consumed and therefore not emitted to the atmosphere. We find that CH4 oxidation mitigates 76.4 ± 12.0% of potential canal emissions, reducing emissions by ~70 mg CH4 m−2 d−1. Methane consumption also significantly impacts the stable isotopic fingerprint of canal CH4 emissions. As canals drain over 65% of peatlands in Southeast Asia, our results suggest that CH4 oxidation significantly influences landscape-scale CH4 emissions from these ecosystems.
Citation
Perryman, C.R., Bowen, J.C., Shahan, J., Silviani PAB, D., Dayanti, E., Andriyani, Y., Asyhari, A., Gangga, A., Novita, N., Anshari, G.Z. and Hoyt, A.M., 2024. Fate of methane in canals draining tropical peatlands. Nature Communications, 15(1), p.9766. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54063-x
TNC Authors
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Nisa Novita
Lead for Peatland Conservation Strategy, Indonesia
The Nature Conservancy
Email: nisa.novita@tnc.org