NEWS A warmer and wetter climate makes lakes more productive – which in turn leads to more methane being released from sediments. A new study involving Umeå University shows that Arctic lakes may contribute even more to the greenhouse effect in the future.
Fältarbete vid sjöar nära Abisko naturvetenskapliga station.
ImageSofia KjellmanMethane is more than 25 times stronger as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Arctic lakes account for a significant share of global methane emissions, but until now, knowledge about the processes in northern lakes has been limited. An international team of researchers from Norway, Sweden and Spain has now shown that methane production varies greatly between lakes and is closely linked to their characteristics.
The researchers investigated ten lakes on Svalbard and in the subarctic region of Scandinavia, three of them via the Abisko Scientific Research Station. They found that most methane production occurs in the top ten centimetres of lake sediments, where there is abundant organic matter and favorable conditions for microbes.
“The Arctic is already greening in response to the warmer and wetter climate, and longer summers up north, impacting the inputs of organic matter fueling methane production in lakes”, says Alexandra Rouillard, Umeå Marine Sciences Centre, Umeå University, and co-supervisor of the study.
Bottles in which methane was collected in Abisko.
ImageAlexandra RouillardThe study clearly showed that especially shallower lakes, with many algae, bottom plants, and surrounding vegetation, generate higher methane production. However, the amount of gas produced varied greatly between lakes.
The researchers compared their results with data from more than 60 lakes worldwide. They found that lakes in tropical and temperate regions generally have higher methane production. However, the large number of lakes at northern latitudes, combined with the strong variation between them, still makes the total emissions significant.
Link to publication: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JG008508
Contact:
Alexandra Rouillard, +46 738 400 273
Umeå Marine Sciences Centre & Climate Impacts Research Centre
Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience
Umeå University
Marie Bulínová, Anders Schomacker, Sofia E. Kjellman, Cristian Gudasz, Carolina Olid, Johan Rydberg, … Richard Bindler, Alexandra Rouillard. Increased Ecosystem Productivity Boosts Methane Production in Arctic Lake Sediments. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 23 juli 2025.
