The methane flux along topographical gradients on a glacier foreland in the high Arctic, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

In order to examine the relationship between the methane (CH₄) flux and soil factors and vegetation in High Arctic tundra, we investigated the CH₄ flux along topographical gradients on a glacier foreland in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (79°N, 12°E). The CH₄ flux rates varied widely among sites even within the same vegetation type, ranging from positive (emission) to negative (absorption) values. High CH₄ emission rates were detected on ridges and in sites with a low soil water content, but there was no significant relationship between CH₄ flux rates and soil factors including soil moisture, pH, soil carbon and nitrogen content. Mean values of CH₄ emission and CH₄ absorption were 0.30±0.33 mg m^-2 h^-1 (n=12) and 0.11±0.06 mg m^-2 h^-1 (n=11), respectively. These findings suggest that the study area is a small source of CH₄ with a mean flux of 0.11 mg CH₄ m^-2 h^-1 (0.083 mg C m^-2 h^-1). It was concluded that carbon flux derived from CH₄ accounts for an extremely small proportion of the total carbon flux from soil in this area.