Methane transport from the active layer to lakes in the Arctic using Toolik Lake, Alaska, as a case study

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Main Authors: Paytan, Adina, Lecher, Alanna L., Dimova, Natasha, Sparrow, Katy J., Kodovska, Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Murray, Joseph, Tulaczyk, Slawomir, Kessler, John D.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 2015
• Subjects: Physical Sciences; Arctic; Climate change; Global warming; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378394/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25775530; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1417392112

Methane, a greenhouse gas, contributes to global warming. We show that methane-rich water from the seasonally thawed active layer in the Arctic flows into Toolik Lake, Alaska. This may be an important previously unrecognized conduit for methane transport and emissions in Arctic lakes. The controls on methane input from the active layer are fundamentally different than those affecting methane production within lakes, and the response of these processes to climate and environmental change is also distinct. The accuracy of predictions of methane emissions and ultimately the extent of climate change that can be expected in the Arctic depend on a better understanding of methane dynamics in the region, including the controls over methane production and transport processes within the active layer.