Methane fluxes from tundra soils and snowpack in the maritime Antarctic

Methane fluxes were measured from three exposed tundra sites and four snowpack sites on the Fildes Peninsula in the maritime Antarctic in the summertime of 2002. The average fluxes at two normal tundra sites were −15.3 μg m−2 h−1 and −14.3 μg m−2 h−1, respectively. The fluxes from tundra site with fresh penguin dropping addition showed positive values with the average of 36.1 μg m−2 h−1, suggesting that the deposition of fresh droppings greatly enhanced CH4 emissions from the poor Antarctic tundra during penguin breeding periods. The summertime variation in CH4 flux was correlated with surface ground temperature and the precipitation. The correlation between the flux and PT0, which is the product of the precipitation and surface ground temperature, was quite strong. The diurnal cycle of CH4 flux from the tundra soils was not obtained due to local fluky weather conditions. The fluxes through four snowpack sites were also obtained by the vertical CH4 concentration gradient and their average fluxes were −46.5 μg m−2 h−1, −28.2 μg m−2 h−1, −46.4 μg m−2 h−1 and −17.9 μg m−2 h−1, respectively, indicating that tundra soils under snowpack also consume atmospheric CH4 in the maritime Antarctic; therefore these fluxes could constitute an important part of the annual CH4 budget for Antarctic tundra ecosystem.