Abstract
Abstract. Methane (CH4) seepage (i.e., steady or episodic flow of gaseous hydrocarbons from subsurface reservoirs) has been identified as a significant source of atmospheric CH4. However, radiocarbon data from polar ice cores have recently brought into question the magnitude of fossil CH4 seepage naturally occurring. In northern high latitudes, seepage of subsurface CH4 is impeded by permafrost and glaciers, which are under an increasing risk of thawing and melting in a globally warming world, implying the potential release of large stores of CH4 in the future. Resolution of these important questions requires a better constraint and monitoring of actual emissions from seepage areas. The measurement of these seeps is challenging, particularly in aquatic environments, because they involve large and irregular gas flow rates, unevenly distributed both spatially and temporally. Large macroseeps are particularly difficult to measure due to a lack of lightweight, inexpensive methods that can be deployed in remote Arctic environments. Here, we report the use of a mobile chamber for measuring emissions at the surface of ice-free lakes subject to intense CH4 macroseepage. Tested in a remote Alaskan lake, the method was validated for the measurement of fossil CH4 emissions of up to 1.08 × 104 g CH4 m−2 d−1 (13.0 L m−2 min−1 of 83.4 % CH4 bubbles), which is within the range of global fossil methane seepage and several orders of magnitude above standard ecological emissions from lakes. In addition, this method allows for low diffusive flux measurements. Thus, the mobile chamber approach presented here covers the entire magnitude range of CH4 emissions currently identified, from those standardly observed in lakes to intense macroseeps, with a single apparatus of moderate cost.
Highlights
Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes about 20 % of the warming induced by greenhouse gases (Kirschke et al, 2013), with a global emission estimated to 572 or 737 Tg CH4 yr−1, for top-down or bottom-up budget estimations, respectively (Saunois et al, 2020)
During this first test, keeping the chamber exactly over an ebullition hotspot was identified as a difficult task, due to boat motion caused by wind and waves, and because large bubble seeps generated strong radial water movement at the surface, pushing the chamber outward away from the center of hotspot seeps
Even when a gas burst was captured by the chamber, the airflow sensor did not produce a clear signal among the large noise
Summary
Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes about 20 % of the warming induced by greenhouse gases (Kirschke et al, 2013), with a global emission estimated to 572 or 737 Tg CH4 yr−1, for top-down or bottom-up budget estimations, respectively (Saunois et al, 2020). In addition to biotic and industrial sources, gas seepage (i.e., steady or episodic flow of gaseous hydrocarbons from subsurface sources to the surface) has been identified as a significant source of atmospheric CH4, estimated to range 42– 76 Tg CH4 yr−1 (Schwietzke et al, 2016; Etiope et al, 2019). Given that the Arctic is exposed to greater climatic warming than other latitudes
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