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Some Marshes Pass Too Much Gas Marshes pass a lot of gas, which adds to the global warming problem. One solution: Let them flood, a new study suggests. Wetlands can be thought of as the kidneys of the environment, absorbing chemicals and gunk and organic matter, explains a team led by William Mitsch of Ohio State University. Nature likes to flush its kidneys, either with floods, tides or occasional catastrophic storms such as hurricanes. We humans sometimes work to prevent all that with levees, sea walls, dams and floodgates, but that means the kidneys can get a little backed up. When that happens, more methane is released from the deep water in a wetlands area, the researchers found. In tests, pulsing water through wetlands cut down on methane emissions. The scientists aren't suggesting any major projects to create pulses in existing systems. Rather, Mitsch said, we'd be wise to leave existing natural setups as they are. LiveScience, September 24, 2008 |