UConn grad students research wetland methane emissions

Eva Nelson and Emily McInerney take air samples from wetland plots near the Kellogg Dairy Center on June 24, 2014. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Graduate students at the University of Connecticut are researching the role that wetlands play in producing methane, according to a release from the university. Methane is a major greenhouse gas known to be more potent at trapping solar radiation than carbon dioxide.

Other studies have shown that wetlands contribute 15 to 45 percent of methane emissions globally. The work at UConn is looking into the effects of water levels on those emissions coming from a wetland near campus.

To do this, researchers will measure soil moisture and gases released in the plot. They hypothesize that carbon dioxide levels will increase with drier soils and methane levels will do the same in wet conditions.

Image: Students Eva Nelson and Emily McInerney take air samples from wetland plots near the Kellogg Dairy Center on June 24, 2014. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)