Methane emissions from canals draining tropical peatlands: Constraining temporal variability and emissions pathways
This year round study examines methane emissions from canals draining peatlands in Southeast Asia. Diffusion accounted for more than 80% of net methane emissions, while low rainfall limited methane oxidation and increased diffusive emissions. Results highlight seasonal to decadal variation when estimating drainage canal methane emissions.
Subject Tags
- Wetlands
Abstract
Drainage canals are potential hotspots of methane (CH4) emissions from degraded peatlands in Southeast Asia. Estimates of CH4 emissions from these canals remain scarce, and both the temporal variability and pathways of CH4 emissions are uncertain. Here, we present a year-round study of CH4 emissions from canals draining peatlands in Southeast Asia. We quantified diffusive and ebullitive fluxes and tracked canal CH4 dynamics by measuring δ13C-CH4. Diffusion was the primary pathway of CH4 fluxes throughout the year, accounting for > 80% of net CH4 emissions. Periods of low rainfall limited CH4 oxidation and enhanced diffusive CH4 emissions, particularly in canals blocked to rewet the adjacent peat soils. By synthesizing data from past studies, we find an apparent decrease in canal CH4 emissions with time following peatland drainage. Our results highlight the importance of considering seasonal to decadal variation in efforts to include drainage canals in the global CH4 budget.
Citation
Perryman, C.R., Bowen, J.C., Silviani Putri Aulian Barry, D., Dayanti, E., Andriyani, Y., Gates, R.L., Novita, N., Anshari, G.Z. and Hoyt, A.M. (2026), Methane emissions from canals draining tropical peatlands: Constraining temporal variability and emissions pathways. Limnol. Oceanogr. Lett, 11: e70150. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.70150
TNC Authors
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Nisa Novita
Lead of Peatland Conservation Strategy (MP). Indonesia
The Nature Conservancy
Email: nisa.novita@tnc.org