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The effects of fire on biogenic emissions of methane and nitric oxide from wetlandsEnhanced emissions of methane (CH4) and nitric oxide (NO) were measured following three controlled burns in a Florida wetlands in 1987 and 1988. Wetlands are the major global source of methane resulting from metabolic activity of methanogenic bacteria. Methanogens require carbon dioxide, acetate, or formate for their growth and the metabolic production of methane. All three water-soluble compounds are produced in large concentrations during biomass burning. Postfire methane emissions exceeded 0.15 g CH 4/sq m per day. Preburn and postburn measurements of soil nutrients indicate significant postburn increases in soil ammonium, from 8.35 to 13.49 parts per million (ppm) in the upper 5 cm of the Juncus marsh and from 8.83 to 23.75 ppm in the upper 5 cm of the Spartina marsh. Soil nitrate concentrations were found to decrease in both marshes after the fire. These measurements indicate that the combustion products of biomass burning exert an important 'fertilizing' effect on the biosphere and on the biogenic production of environmentally significant atmospheric gases.
Document ID
19900038189
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Levine, Joel S.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Cofer, Wesley R., III
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Sebacher, Daniel I.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Rhinehart, Robert P.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Winstead, Edward L.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Sebacher, Shirley
(ST Systems Corp. Hampton, VA, United States)
Hinkle, C. Ross
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Schmalzer, Paul A.
(NASA Kennedy Space Center; Bionetics Corp. Cocoa Beach, FL, United States)
Koller, Albert M., Jr.
(NASA Kennedy Space Center Cocoa Beach, FL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
February 20, 1990
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 95
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Accession Number
90A25244
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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