Alpha- and Gammaproteobacterial Methanotrophs Codominate the Active Methane-Oxidizing Communities in an Acidic Boreal Peat Bog

The objective of this study was to characterize metabolically active, aerobic methanotrophs in an ombrotrophic peatland in the Marcell Experimental Forest, Minnesota, USA. Methanotrophs were investigated in the field and in laboratory incubations using DNA-stable isotope probing, expression studies on particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) genes, and amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Potential rates of oxidation ranged from 14-17 μmol CH4 g dry wt soil-1 d-1. Within DNA-SIP incubations, the relative abundance of methanotrophs increased from 4% in situ to 25-36% after 8 -14 days. Phylogenetic analysis of the 13C-enriched DNA fractions revealed the active methanotrophs were dominated by the genera Methylocystis (Type II; Alphaproteobacteria), Methylomonas, and Methylovulum (Type I; Gammaproteobacteria). In field samples, a transcript-to-gene ratio of 1 to 2 was observed for pmoA in surface peat layers which attenuated rapidly with depth, indicating the highest methane consumption was associated with the 0-10 cm depth interval. Metagenomes and sequencing of cDNA pmoA amplicons from field samples confirmed the dominant active methanotrophs were Methylocystis and Methylomonas. Although Type II methanotrophs have long been shown to mediate methane consumption in peatlands, our results indicate members of the genera Methylomonas and Methylovulum (Type I) can significantly contribute to aerobic methane oxidation in these ecosystems

Control of the Diurnal Pattern of Methane Emission from Emergent Aquatic Macrophytes by Gas Transport Mechanisms

Methane emissions from Typha latifolia (L.) showed a large mid-morning transient peak associated with rising light levels. This peak was also associated with a steep decline in lacunal CH, concentrations near the stem base. This pattern contrasted sharply with emissions from Peltandra virginica (L.) that gradually rose to a peak in the mid-afternoon corresponding to elevated air temperatures. Internal CH4 concentrations within P. virginica stems did not change significantly over the diurnal period. Stomatal conductance appeared to correlate directly with light levels in both plant types and were not associated with peak CH4 emission events in either plant. These patterns are consistent with a convective throughflow and diffusive gas ventilation systems for Typha and Peltandra, respectively. Further effects of the convective throughflow in T. latifolia were evident in the elevated CH4 concentrations measured within brown leaves as contrasted to the near ambient levels measured within live green leaves. Experimental manipulation of elevated and reduced CO2 levels in the atmosphere surrounding the plants and of light/dark periods suggested that stomatal aperture has little or no control of methane emissions from T. latifolia

Carbon Cycling in Santa Barbara Basin Sediments: A Modeling Study

The primary input of organic matter to almost all marine sediments comes from deposition at the sediment surface. However, in many continental margin settings, reduced carbon can also be added to sediments from below—for example, from “deep” geologic hydrocarbon reservoirs derived from ancient source rocks or from the decomposition of deeply buried gas hydrate deposits. To examine the impact of these two differing reduced carbon inputs on sediment biogeochemistry, a modified reaction-transport model for anoxic marine sediments is described here and applied to data from sediment cores in Santa Barbara Basin to a depth of 4.6 m. Excellent model fits yield results consistent with previous studies of Santa Barbara Basin and other continental margin sediments. These results indicate that authigenic carbonate precipitation in these sediments is not centered around the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ), as is seen in many other sedimentary environments but occurs at shallower depths in the sediments and over a relatively broad depth range. Sulfate profiles are linear between the surface sediments (upper ∼20 cm) and the top of the SMTZ (∼105 cm) giving the appearance of refractory particulate organic carbon (POC) burial and conservative sulfate behavior in this intermediate region. However, model results show that linear profiles may also occur when high rates of sulfate reduction occur near the sediment surface (as organoclastic sulfate reduction [oSR]) and in the SMTZ (largely as anaerobic oxidation of methane) with low, but nonzero, rates of oSR in-between. At the same time, linearity in the sulfate profile may also be related to downward pore-water advection by compaction and sedimentation plus a decrease with depth in sulfate diffusivity because of decreasing porosity. These model-determined rates of oSR and methanogenesis also result in a rate of POC loss that declines near-continuously in a logarithmic fashion over the entire sediment column studied. The results presented further here indicate the importance of a deep methane flux from below on sediment biogeochemistry in the shallower sediments, although the exact source of this methane flux is difficult to ascertain with the existing data

Greenhouse gas balance over thaw-freeze cycles in discontinuous zone permafrost

Peat in the discontinuous permafrost zone contains a globally significant reservoir of carbon that has undergone multiple permafrost-thaw cycles since the end of the mid-Holocene (~3700 years before present). Periods of thaw increase C decomposition rates which leads to the release of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere creating potential climate feedback. To determine the magnitude and direction of such feedback, we measured CO2 and CH4 emissions and modeled C accumulation rates and radiative fluxes from measurements of two radioactive tracers with differing lifetimes to describe the C balance of the peatland over multiple permafrost-thaw cycles since the initiation of permafrost at the site. At thaw features, the balance between increased primary production and higher CH4 emission stimulated by warmer temperatures and wetter conditions favors C sequestration and enhanced peat accumulation. Flux measurements suggest that frozen plateaus may intermittently (order of years to decades) act as CO2 sources depending on temperature and net ecosystem respiration rates, but modeling results suggest that—despite brief periods of net C loss to the atmosphere at the initiation of thaw—integrated over millennia, these sites have acted as net C sinks via peat accumulation. In greenhouse gas terms, the transition from frozen permafrost to thawed wetland is accompanied by increasing CO2 uptake that is partially offset by increasing CH4 emissions. In the short-term (decadal time scale) the net effect of this transition is likely enhanced warming via increased radiative C emissions, while in the long-term (centuries) net C deposition provides a negative feedback to climate warming

Methane dynamics in Santa Barbara Basin (USA) sediments as examined with a reaction-transport model

Here we describe a new reaction-transport model that quantitatively examines δ13C profiles of pore-water methane and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) (δ13CCH4 and δ13CDIC) in the anoxic sediments of the Santa Barbara Basin (California Borderland region). Best-fit solutions of the model to these data suggest that CO2 reduction is the predominant form of methanogenesis in these sediments. These solutions also accurately reproduce the isotope depth profiles, including a broad minimum in the δ13CDIC profile and a much sharper (angular) minimum in the δ13CCH4 profile, both of which appear near the base of the transition zone in the sediments between sulfate reduction and methanogenesis (referred to here as the sulfate-methane transition zone, or SMTZ). Such minima in pore-water profiles of δ13CCH4 near the base of the SMTZ have been seen in a number of other marine sediments across a range of depth and timescales. We show here that this minimum in the δ13CCH4 profile in Santa Barbara Basin sediments results from the balance between (1) anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), which leads to an increase in δ13CCH4 with decreasing depth in the sediment column through and above the SMTZ; (2) methanogenesis, which produces 13C-depleted methane, both in and below the SMTZ; and (3) an upward flux of CH4 from depth that is relatively enriched in 13C as compared with the methane in these pore waters. Possible sources of this deep methane include the following: geologic hydrocarbon reservoirs derived from ancient source rocks; decomposition of buried gas hydrates; and biogenic (or perhaps thermogenic) methane produced hundreds of meters below the seafloor stimulated by increasing temperatures associated with the sediment geothermal gradient. Although we are unable to resolve these possible sources of deep methane, we believe that the significance of an upward methane flux as an explanation for minima in δ13CCH4 pore-water profiles may not be limited to Santa Barbara Basin sediments but may be common in many continental margin sediments

The Relative Importance of Methanogenesis in the Decomposition of Organic Matter in Northern Peatlands

Using an isotope-mass balance approach and assuming the equimolar production of CO2 and CH4 from methanogenesis (e.g., anaerobic decomposition of cellulose), we calculate that the proportion of total CO2 production from methanogenesis varies from 37 to 83% across a variety of northern peatlands. In a relative sense, methanogenesis was a more important pathway for decomposition in bogs (80 ± 13% of CO2 production) than in fens (64 ± 5.7% of CO2 production), but because fens contain more labile substrates they may support higher CH4 production overall. The concentration of CO2 produced from methanogenesis (CO2-meth) can be considered equivalent to CH4 concentration before loss due to ebullition, plant-mediated transport, or diffusion. Bogs produced slightly less CO2-meth than fens (2.9 ±1.3 and 3.7 ±1.4mmol/L, respectively). Comparing the quantity of CH4 present to CO2-meth, fens lost slightly more CH4 than bogs (89 ± 2.8% and 82 ± 5.3%, respectively) likely due to the presence of vascular plant roots. In collapsed permafrost wetlands, bog moats produced half the amount of CO2-meth (0.8 ± 0.2mmol/L) relative to midbogs (1.6 ± 0.6mmol/L) and methanogenesis was less important (42 ± 6.6% of total CO2 production relative to 55 ± 8.1%). We hypothesize that the lower methane production potential in collapsed permafrost wetlands occurs because recently thawed organic substrates are being first exposed to the initial phases of anaerobic decomposition following collapse and flooding. Bog moats lost a comparable amount of CH4 as midbogs (63 ± 7.0% and 64 ± 9.3%)

The Ecosystem Baseline for Particle Flux in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Response management and damage assessment during and after environmental disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill require an ecological baseline and a solid understanding of the main drivers of the ecosystem. During the DWH event, a large fraction of the spilled oil was transported to depth via sinking marine snow, a routing of spilled oil unexpected to emergency response planners. Because baseline knowledge of particle export in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and how it varies spatially and temporally was limited, we conducted a detailed assessment of the potential drivers of deep (~1400 m depth) particle fluxes during 2012–2016 using sediment traps at three contrasting sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: near the DWH site, at an active natural oil seep site, and at a site considered typical for background conditions. The DWH site, located ~70 km from the Mississippi River Delta, showed flux patterns that were strongly linked to the Mississippi nitrogen discharge and an annual subsequent surface bloom. Fluxes carried clear signals of combustion products, which likely originated from pyrogenic sources that were transported offshore via the Mississippi plume. The seep and reference sites were more strongly influenced by the open Gulf of Mexico, did not show a clear seasonal flux pattern, and their overall sedimentation rates were lower than those at the DWH site. At the seep site, based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon data, we observed indications of three different pathways for “natural” oiled-snow sedimentation: scavenging by sinking particles at depth, weathering at the surface before incorporation into sinking particles, and entry into the food web and subsequent sinking in form of detritus. Overall, sedimentation rates at the three sites were markedly different in quality and quantity owing to varying degrees of riverine and oceanic influences, including natural seepage and contamination by combustion products

Amazon Capims (floating grassmats): A source of 13C enriched methane to the troposphere

The 13C isotopic composition of methane emitted to the troposphere from Amazon capims (floating grassmats) ranged from −36.9 to −48.0‰, averaging −44.4 ± 4.2‰. All pools of methane associated with the grassmats were 13C enriched; methane withdrawn from plant stems ranged from −39 to −49‰ while bubbles stirred from the root mat averaged −41.4‰. As the CH4 flux from these habitats makes up some 40% of the total flux from the Amazon floodplain, CH4 emissions from the region as a whole must be enriched in the heavy carbon isotope. Methane withdrawn from the stems of five genera of rooted macrophytes ranging in latitude from the Florida Everglades to the Alaskan Arctic exhibited 13C enrichment relative to the sedimentary methane bubble reservoir. Several hypotheses based upon isotopic fractionation by methane transport, oxidation and production processes are proposed to explain this phenomenon

Surface Production Fuels Deep Heterotrophic Respiration in Northern Peatlands

Multiple analyses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from pore waters were conducted to define the processes that govern carbon balance in peatlands: (1) source, reactivity, and transport of DOC with respect to vegetation, peat, and age of carbon substrate, (2) reactivity of DOC with respect to molecular size, and (3) lability to photoxidation of surficial DOC. We found that surface organic production fuels heterotrophic respiration at depth in advection-dominated peatlands, especially in fens. Fen DOC was Δ14Cenriched relative to the surrounding fen peat, and fen respiration products were similar to this enriched DOC indicating that DOC was the main microbial substrate. Bog DOC was more variable showing either enrichment in Δ14C at depth or Δ14C values that follow peat values. This variability in bogs is probably controlled by the relative importance of vertical transport of labile carbon substrates within the peat profile versus DOC production from bog peat. These results extended our set of observations to 10 years at one bog-fen pair and add two additional bog-fen pairs to our series of observations. Anaerobic incubations of peat, rinsed free of residual DOC, produced DOC and respiration products that were strikingly similar to the peat values in a bog and two fens. This result demonstrated conclusively that downward advection is the process responsible for the presence of modern DOC found at depth in the peat column. Fen DOC has lower C/N values and up to twice as much LMW (kDa) DOC as bogs due to differences in organic inputs and greater microbial processing. Fluorescence irradiation experiments showed that fen DOC is more photolabile than bog DOC

The Ecosystem Baseline For Particle Flux In the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Response management and damage assessment during and after environmental disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill require an ecological baseline and a solid understanding of the main drivers of the ecosystem. During the DWH event, a large fraction of the spilled oil was transported to depth via sinking marine snow, a routing of spilled oil unexpected to emergency response planners. Because baseline knowledge of particle export in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and how it varies spatially and temporally was limited, we conducted a detailed assessment of the potential drivers of deep (~1400 m depth) particle fluxes during 2012–2016 using sediment traps at three contrasting sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: near the DWH site, at an active natural oil seep site, and at a site considered typical for background conditions. The DWH site, located ~70 km from the Mississippi River Delta, showed flux patterns that were strongly linked to the Mississippi nitrogen discharge and an annual subsequent surface bloom. Fluxes carried clear signals of combustion products, which likely originated from pyrogenic sources that were transported offshore via the Mississippi plume. The seep and reference sites were more strongly influenced by the open Gulf of Mexico, did not show a clear seasonal flux pattern, and their overall sedimentation rates were lower than those at the DWH site. At the seep site, based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon data, we observed indications of three different pathways for “natural” oiled-snow sedimentation: scavenging by sinking particles at depth, weathering at the surface before incorporation into sinking particles, and entry into the food web and subsequent sinking in form of detritus. Overall, sedimentation rates at the three sites were markedly different in quality and quantity owing to varying degrees of riverine and oceanic influences, including natural seepage and contamination by combustion products