| Abstract | Flooding of land associated with the creation of reservoirs may increase, at least in the short term, methane flux to the atmosphere. To evaluate the potential contribution of such land use on methane production, field samples were studied in vitro for the potential activity of methanogenic bacteria in unflooded or flooded boreal forest soils, together with lacustrine sediments. From this comparative study, periodically flooded or flooded peats contribute more to methane production than do unflooded peats, soils, and natural lake sediment. The intensity and temporal changes in the activity of methanogenic archaea in the different systems depended on a combination of environmental factors, such as the amount and quality of organic carbon, the water level, and the concentration of oxidizing ions (SO₄²⁻, Fe³⁺). |
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