Effects of Elevated CO2 and Temperature on Methane Production and Emission from Submerged Soil Microcosm

Incubation experiments were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions to study the interactive effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and temperature on the production and emission of methane (CH₄) from a submerged rice soil microcosm. Soil samples (unamended soil; soil + straw; soil + straw + N fertilizer) were placed in four growth chambers specifically designed for a combination of two levels of temperature (25 °C or 35 °C) and two levels of CO₂ concentration (400 or 800 mol mol^–1) with light intensity of about 3000 Lx for 16 h d^–1. At 7, 15, 30, and 45 d after incubation, CH₄ flux, CH₄ dissolved in floodwater, subsurface soil-entrapped CH₄, and CH₄ production potential of the subsurface soil were determined. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The amendment with rice straw led to a severalfold increase in CH₄ emission rates, especially at 35 °C. However, the CH₄ flux tended to decrease considerably after 15 d of incubation under elevated CO₂. 2) The amount of entrapped CH₄ in subsurface soil and the CH₄ production potential of the subsurface soil were appreciably larger in the soil samples incubated under elevated CO₂ and temperature during the early incubation period. However, after 15 d, they were similar in the soil samples incubated under elevated or ambient CO₂ levels. These results clearly indicated that elevated CO₂ and temperature accelerated CH₄ formation by the addition of rice straw, while elevated CO₂ reduced CH₄ emission at both temperatures.