Climate-driven shifts in sediment chemistry enhance methane production in northern lakes

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are a major source of methane (CH 4 ), contributing 0.65 Pg (in CO 2 equivalents) yr -1 towards global carbon (C) emissions and thereby offsetting ∼25% of the terrestrial carbon sink. Most CH 4 emissions come from littoral sediments, where large quantities of plant material are decomposed. As climate change is predicted to shift plant community composition, and thus change the quality of inputs into detrital food …