Methane emission and oxidation in canals draining tropical peatlands
- 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, United States of America (LSomers@mit.edu; charvey@mit.edu)
- 2Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Martinsried, Germany; (ahoyt@bgc-jena.mpg.de)
- 3Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of California, Berkley, USA
- 4Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore (alex.cobb@smart.mit.edu; suhailah@smart.mit.edu)
Drainage canals are a potentially important source of methane from tropical peatlands. Groundwater flow transports dissolved methane to canals, where it has the potential to escape to the atmosphere. However, these emissions are poorly characterized, and the extent to which methane is oxidised before being emitted to the atmosphere is unknown. In this study, we present preliminary data from a deforested tropical peatland in Brunei Darussalam. We use measurements of stable carbon isotopes to track methane production in the peatland. To determine the fraction of methane which is emitted vs. oxidized in a canal draining the site, we use measurements of the δ13C and δD of CH4 in ditch water samples as well as surface gas samples. In addition, we monitor outflow and oxygen content in the ditch. Together, these measurements, in combination with a reactive transport hydrological model will enable us to estimate methane production, oxidation and fluvial export.
How to cite: Somers, L., Hoyt, A., Bte Isnin, S., Cobb, A., and Harvey, C.: Methane emission and oxidation in canals draining tropical peatlands, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-20747, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20747, 2020
