On eddy covariance measurements of methane flux across a catena of land use types (drained peatland pasture, rice and restored wetland) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

We are measuring methane fluxes with the new generation of open and closed path methane sensors that are based on infrared spectroscopy. The new technology enables us to measure methane fluxes over a suite of landscapes in a highly managed peatland environment to address issues regarding the efficacy of planting rice or restoring wetlands as a means of stopping or reversing peatland subsidence and as a means of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel emissions. The act of flooding enhances net carbon uptake by the landscape, but it also promotes methane production.

We report on comparisons between open and closed path methane sensors and report on the annually integrated carbon dioxide and methane fluxes produced by these contrasting landscapes. The bottom line is that ecosystem restoration of wetlands may sequester carbon but it will produce copious amounts of methane.