We measured CH4 fluxes from three major plant communities characteristic of alpine tundra in the Colorado Front Range. Plant communities in this ecosystem are determined by soil moisture regimes induced by winter snowpack distribution. Spatial patterns of CH4 flux during the snow-free season corresponded roughly with these plant communities. In Carex-dominated meadows, which receive the most mo...

Methane adsorption onto single-wall boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was studied using the density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. The structural optimization of several bonding configurations for a CH4 molecule approaching the outer surface of the (8,0) BNNT and (8,0) CNT shows that the CH4 molecule is preferentially adsorbed onto the...

Gaseous emissions from swine (Sus scrofa) manure storage systems represent a concern to air quality due to the potential effects of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, and volatile organic compounds on environmental quality and human health. The lack of knowledge concerning functional aspects of swine manure management systems has been a major obstacle in the development and optimization of emi...

An equation of state (EOS) CH4-N2 fluid mixtures in terms Helmholtz free energy has been developed by using four mixing parameters, which can reproduce the pressure-volume-temperature-composition (PVTx) and vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) properties mixtures. The average absolute deviation all PVTx data available up to 673.15 K 1380 bar from this EOS is 0.38%. Combining CH4-CO2 CO2-N2 our previo...

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on EOS/Aqua platform provides a measurement of global methane (CH4) in the mid-upper troposphere since September, 2002. As a thermal infrared sounder, the most sensitivity of AIRS to atmospheric CH4 is in the mid-upper troposphere with the degree of freedom of ~1.0. Validation of AIRS CH4 product versus thousands of aircraft profiles (convolved using the ...

Atmospheric methane (CH4) is the second strongest greenhouse gas and it is emitted to the atmosphere naturally by different sources. It is crucial to define the dimension of these natural emissions in order to forecast changes in atmospheric CH4 mixing ratio in future scenarios. However, CH4 emissions by seagrass ecosystems in shallow marine coastal systems have been neglected although their gl...

Changes in vegetation and soil properties following permafrost degradation and thermokarst development in peatlands may cause changes in net carbon storage. To better understand these dynamics, we established three sites in Alaska that vary in permafrost regime, including a black spruce peat plateau forest with stable permafrost, an internal collapse scar bog formed as a result of thermokarst, ...

Baseline characterization of concentrations and isotopic values of dissolved natural gases is needed to identify contamination caused by the leakage of fugitive gases from oil and gas activities. Methods to collect and analyze baseline concentration-depth profiles of dissolved CH4 and C2 H6 and δ13 C-CH4 in shales and Quaternary clayey tills were assessed at two sites in the Williston Basin, Ca...

Hydrocarbons such as CH4 are known to be formed through the Fischer-Tropsch or Sabatier type reactions in hydrothermal systems usually at temperatures above 100°C. Weathering of olivine is sometimes suggested to account for abiotic formation of CH4 through its redox lowering and water splitting properties. Knowledge about the CH4 and H2 formation processes at low temperatures is important for t...