Seasonal Dynamics of Atmospheric Methane Oxidation in Gray Forest Soils.

Semenov, V. M.; Kravchenko, I. K.; Kuznetsova, T. V.; Semenova, N. A.; Bykova, S. A.; Dulov, L. E.; Gal'chenko, V. F.; Pardini, G.; Gispert, M.; Boeckx, P.; van Cleemput, O.

Seasonal fluctuations in the methane fluxes in the soil–atmosphere system were determined for gray forest soils of Central Russia. Consumption of atmospheric methane was found to exceed methane emission in gray forest soils under forest and in the agrocenosis. The average annual rates of atmospheric methane consumption by the soil under forest and in the agrocenosis were 0.026 and 0.008 mg C-CH4/(m2 h), respectively. The annual rate of atmospheric methane oxidation in the gray forest soils of Moscow oblast was estimated to be 0.68 kton. Seasonal fluctuations in the methane oxidation activity were due to changes in the hydrothermal conditions and in the reserves of readily decomposable organic matter and mineral nitrogen, as well as to changes in the activity of methane oxidizers.

METHANE; OXIDATION; SOILS; NITROGEN; OXIDIZING agents; ALKANES

Microbiology (00262617), 2004, Vol 73, Issue 3, p356

0026-2617

Academic Journal

10.1023/B:MICI.0000032249.72956.9f