Methane emission from the oligotrophic bog massif in the Northwestern Russia

Results of measuring methane emissions from the Lammin-Suo oligotrophic bog massif are considered. It is shown that emission intensity depends on the methane transport from the active layer of the peat bed. The highest emission intensity is observed in the sedge-sphagnum microlandscape and over swampy hollows of the hummock-ridge complex. It is found that the methane flux intensity approaches zero when the wetland level drops by 30–35 cm from the bog surface. Spatial methane emission variability is estimated within dominating bog landscapes. The methane emission reaches its maximum values (207%) in microlandscapes with oriented microrelief (hummock-ridge complex); in the central bog (sphagnum-suffrutescent-cottongrass landscape afforested with pine), it reaches its lowest level (76%). A model of methane emissions from bogs is developed. The model has been verified from the observational data. The comparison of model calculations with experimental data is indicative of their good agreement, which makes it possible to use the model in different calculations and assessments of the influence of natural factors on the methane emission intensity.