Dataset Information

First observation of direct methane emission to the atmosphere from the subglacial domain of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

ABSTRACT: During a 2016 field expedition to the West Greenland Ice Sheet, a striking observation of significantly elevated CH₄ concentrations of up to 15 times the background atmospheric concentration were measured directly in the air expelled with meltwater at a subglacial discharge point from the Greenland Ice Sheet. The range of hourly subglacial CH₄ flux rate through the discharge point was estimated to be 3.1 to 134?g CH₄ hr^-1. These measurements are the first observations of direct emissions of CH₄ from the subglacial environment under the Greenlandic Ice Sheet to the atmosphere and indicate a novel emission pathway of CH₄ that is currently a non-quantified component of the Arctic CH₄ budget.

SUBMITTER: Christiansen JR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6226494 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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First observation of direct methane emission to the atmosphere from the subglacial domain of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Christiansen Jesper Riis JR Jørgensen Christian Juncher CJ

Scientific reports 20181109 1

During a 2016 field expedition to the West Greenland Ice Sheet, a striking observation of significantly elevated CH4 concentrations of up to 15 times the background atmospheric concentration were measured directly in the air expelled with meltwater at a subglacial discharge point from the Greenland Ice Sheet. The range of hourly subglacial CH4 flux rate through the discharge point was estimated to be 3.1 to 134 g CH4 hr-1. These measurements are the fi ...[more]

PMID: 30413774

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Project description:Measuring microbial abundance in glacier ice and identifying its controls is essential for a better understanding and quantification of biogeochemical processes in glacial ecosystems. However, cell enumeration of glacier ice samples is challenging due to typically low cell numbers and the presence of interfering mineral particles. We quantified for the first time the abundance of microbial cells in surface ice from geographically distinct sites on the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), using three enumeration methods: epifluorescence microscopy (EFM), flow cytometry (FCM), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, we reviewed published data on microbial abundance in glacier ice and tested the three methods on artificial ice samples of realistic cell (10(2)-10(7) cells ml(-1)) and mineral particle (0.1-100 mg ml(-1)) concentrations, simulating a range of glacial ice types, from clean subsurface ice to surface ice to sediment-laden basal ice. We then used multivariate statistical analysis to identify factors responsible for the variation in microbial abundance on the ice sheet. EFM gave the most accurate and reproducible results of the tested methodologies, and was therefore selected as the most suitable technique for cell enumeration of ice containing dust. Cell numbers in surface ice samples, determined by EFM, ranged from ~ 2 × 10(3) to ~ 2 × 10(6) cells ml(-1) while dust concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 2 mg ml(-1). The lowest abundances were found in ice sampled from the accumulation area of the ice sheet and in samples affected by fresh snow; these samples may be considered as a reference point of the cell abundance of precipitants that are deposited on the ice sheet surface. Dust content was the most significant variable to explain the variation in the abundance data, which suggests a direct association between deposited dust particles and cells and/or by their provision of limited nutrients to microbial communities on the GrIS.

Dataset Information

First observation of direct methane emission to the atmosphere from the subglacial domain of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Publications

First observation of direct methane emission to the atmosphere from the subglacial domain of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Similar Datasets

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