Rising methane emissions from northern wetlands associated with sea ice decline.
The Arctic is rapidly transitioning toward a seasonal sea ice-free state, perhaps one of the most apparent examples of climate change in the world. This dramatic change has numerous consequences, including a large increase in air temperatures, which in turn may affect terrestrial methane emissions. Nonetheless, terrestrial and marine environments are seldom jointly analyzed. By comparing satellite observations of Arctic sea ice concentrations to methane emissions simulated by three process-based biogeochemical models, this study shows that rising wetland methane emissions are associated with sea ice retreat. Our analyses indicate that simulated high-latitude emissions for 2005-2010 were, on average, 1.7 Tg CH4yr-1higher compared to 1981-1990 due to a sea ice-induced, autumn-focused, warming. Since these results suggest a continued rise in methane emissions with future sea ice decline, observation programs need to include measurements during the autumn to further investigate the impact of this spatial connection on terrestrial methane emissions.
Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden; Arctic Research Centre Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark.
Frans-Jan W
0000-0003-2952-7706
FW
Parmentier
Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden.
Wenxin
W
Zhang
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands; Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska USA.
Yanjiao
Y
Mi
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences and Department of Agronomy Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USA.
Xudong
0000-0002-0324-9042
X
Zhu
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands.
Jacobus
J
van Huissteden
Environmental Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USA.
Daniel J
DJ
Hayes
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences and Department of Agronomy Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USA.
Qianlai
Q
Zhuang
Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden; Arctic Research Centre Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark.
Torben R
TR
Christensen
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska USA.
A David
AD
McGuire
Arctic; feedbacks; methane; polar amplification; sea ice; wetlands
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