Nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation in a freshwater sediment

Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to denitrification (DAOM) is a novel process of potential importance to the regulation of methane emissions from freshwater environments. We established nitrate-enriched microcosms of sediment from a freshwater pond in order to quantify the role of this process in a simulated natural redox zonation. The microcosms were allowed to acclimate to nitrate levels of 1–2 mmol L−1 in the overlying water for 16 months leading to a nitrate penetration of 4 cm. The nitrate enrichment significantly stimulated AOM relative to controls, and based on the similar concentrations of sulfate and reactive Fe(III) in the control sediment we conclude that the observed AOM was coupled to denitrification. DAOM occurred at rates that were two orders of magnitude lower than aerobic methane oxidation rates reported in freshwater sediments, and the process appeared to be limited by nitrate or nitrite even at millimolar nitrate concentrations. By contrast, ammonium was efficiently consumed at the base of the nitrate zone, presumably by the anammox process. Although DAOM was stimulated by nitrate enrichment, there were no significant differences between the methane emission from the control and nitrate-enriched microcosms. Our results provide the first experimental evaluation of the kinetics of DAOM in whole sediment cores and indicate that AOM coupled to denitrification can consume a substantial part of the methane flux in nitrate-rich environments. Because it is much less efficient in scavenging methane than its aerobic counterpart, the anaerobic process will, however, mainly be of significance in the regulation of methane emission from oxygen-depleted systems.