Current climate models do not describe methane emissions from wetlands in a satisfactory way. This is the result of a new study of a group of international researchers analysing methane emission data from sites around the globe which was just published in Nature Communications. The bogs are important carbon sinks because they bind carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But they also emit the greenhouse gas methane, which contributes to global warming. Many of the models used today to predict the climate of the future use fixed temperature sensitivity and simple algorithms when it comes to describing the methane emissions of mire systems. But the study shows that it needs more parameters to give a comprehensive picture.

Read the complete press release in Swedish:

https://www.expertsvar.se/pressmeddelanden/myrarnas-metanutslapp-mer-komplexa-an-i-klimatmodellerna/

reference:

Chang, KY., Riley, W.J., Knox, S.H. et al. Substantial hysteresis in emergent temperature sensitivity of global wetland CH4 emissions. Nat Commun 12, 2266 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22452-1