(June 30, 2015) Though
they occupy a small fraction of the Earth's surface, freshwater wetlands are
the largest natural source of methane going into the atmosphere. New research
from the University of Georgia identifies an unexpected process that acts as a
key gatekeeper regulating methane emissions from these freshwater environments.
The study, published in Nature Communications by Samantha
Joye and colleagues, describes how high rates of anaerobic methane oxidation, a
process once considered insignificant in these environments, substantially
reduce atmospheric emissions of methane from freshwater wetlands.
While anaerobic methane oxidation in freshwaters has been
gathering scientific attention, the environmental relevance of this process was
unknown.