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Warming Arctic lakes may release more methane than expected
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092678News Release 28-Jul-2025
Warming Arctic lakes may release more methane than expected
Peer-Reviewed Publication
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
The findings are important because methane is over 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Arctic lakes are already major natural methane sources globally, but the processes that control how methane is produced and released from lake sediments have remained poorly understood—until now.
…
Tracking climate feedbacks in a changing Arctic
This research adds an important piece to the puzzle of how Arctic ecosystems respond to climate change. As temperatures rise and growing seasons lengthen, Arctic landscapes are greening and lakes are expected to become more productive, which could lead to higher methane emissions.
The study underscores the importance of including lake sediments in Arctic greenhouse gas budgets. It also shows that seemingly small environmental changes can have large effects on methane emissions.
“The Arctic is changing rapidly, and we need to understand all the feedbacks involved,” said Marie. “Our work suggests that increases in ecosystem productivity—something we could think of being positive—can also increase methane release and further accelerate warming.”
…
Bulínová, M., Schomacker, A., Kjellman, S. E., Gudasz, C., Olid, C., Rydberg, J., et al. (2025). Increased ecosystem productivity boosts methane production in Arctic lake sediments. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 130, e2024JG008508. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JG008508
Warming Arctic lakes may release more methane than expected
Peer-Reviewed Publication
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
The findings are important because methane is over 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Arctic lakes are already major natural methane sources globally, but the processes that control how methane is produced and released from lake sediments have remained poorly understood—until now.
…
Tracking climate feedbacks in a changing Arctic
This research adds an important piece to the puzzle of how Arctic ecosystems respond to climate change. As temperatures rise and growing seasons lengthen, Arctic landscapes are greening and lakes are expected to become more productive, which could lead to higher methane emissions.
The study underscores the importance of including lake sediments in Arctic greenhouse gas budgets. It also shows that seemingly small environmental changes can have large effects on methane emissions.
“The Arctic is changing rapidly, and we need to understand all the feedbacks involved,” said Marie. “Our work suggests that increases in ecosystem productivity—something we could think of being positive—can also increase methane release and further accelerate warming.”
…
