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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408928
Research Project: Developing Aspirational Practices Through Improved Process Understanding to Protect Soil and Air Resources and Increase Agricultural Productivity in the Upper Midwest U.S.

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

Title: The role of microbes in mediating methane emissions – Act today to prepare for tomorrow

Author
item DAVIDSON, ERIC - University Of Maryland
item SEMRAU, JEREMY - University Of Michigan
item BURNS, MARY ANN - Pennsylvania State University
item TIEDJE, JAMES - Michigan State University
item ZHENG, JIANQIU - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
item GLASS, JENNIFER - Georgia Institute Of Technology
item CHANTON, JEFF - Florida State University
item CRIDDLE, CRAIG - Stanford University
item Spokas, Kurt
item KING, GARY - Louisana State University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2023
Publication Date: 11/8/2023
Citation: Davidson, E., Semrau, J., Burns, M., Tiedje, J., Zheng, J., Glass, J., Chanton, J., Criddle, C., Spokas, K.A., King, G. 2023. The Role of Microbes in Mediating Methane Emissions Report on an American Academy of Microbiology (Academy) and The American Geophysical Union (AGU), Colloquium held on May 31 & June 1, 2023, 54 pages.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Summer 2023 was the hottest in recorded history. Increased greenhouse gases leading to climate change are recognized as the main driver of the record-breaking global heatwaves, which threaten human health and well-being. Microorganisms are important producers and consumers of major greenhouse gases, including methane. Methane is ~80 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over 20 years, significantly contributing to a warming planet. As the most abundant organisms on Earth, microbes can make enormous contributions to the planet’s climate by mitigating methane emissions.