Methane release from Gulf coast wetlands

Abstract

A seasonal study of methane release from adjoining salt, brackish and fresh marsh sediment andthe adjacent open water areas in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin indicates that methane emission isa significant process in the carbon and energy flow of the ecosystem. Methane emission wasinversely related to salinity and sulfate concentration, with methane increasing and salinity andsulfate decreasing with increasing distance from the coast. The annual amounts of methaneevolved were 4.3, 73 and 160 g C m^-2 for the salt, brackish and fresh marshes, respectively. Invitro experiments show that methane production is sensitive to the addition of sulfate, highconcentrations (10 mM SO,) inhibiting methane evolution. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.1983.tb00002.x