Methane-Burping Lakes: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Permafrost and Arctic Lakes

Did you know that lakes 'burp' methane? In this episode we head to Stordalen, one of the world’s most important permafrost and thaw pond sites, to find out how lakes and melting permafrost pools are emitting greenhouse gasses.

With global warming causing more permafrost to thaw, carbon previously locked away in frozen soils becomes available to the organisms in the environment and can be released as greenhouse gasses.

First we’re looking at dissolved carbon dioxide and methane transfer into the air from surface water with researchers from Arizona State University & Umea University, and how that varies with different vegetation in lakes, and then we’re speaking to a student from the University of New Hampshire about ebullition - the bubbles of methane produced by microbes in lakes.

Finally, we head to Riksgränsen to use Radon gas as a tracer to measure the movement of groundwater into lakes and see whether methane enters the lake environment from its water catchment area, with a team from Umea University.

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More episodes and information can be found here.

Based at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, this podcast takes you into the field with scientists as they investigate climate change in an Arctic environment.

Get in touch:

Tweet @ArcticCIRC  Emma @emmabrisdion

Email: arcticcircinterns@gmail.com

Produced in partnership with the Climate Impacts Research Centre, Umea University.

Vector graphic: Freepik

Music: Mark Skinner