Natural and anthropogenic variations in methane sources during the past two millennia
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Methane is an important greenhouse gas that is emitted from multiple natural and anthropogenic sources. Atmospheric methane concentrations have varied on a number of timescales in the past, but what has caused these variations is not always well understood. The different sources and sinks of methane have specific isotopic signatures, and the isotopic composition of methane can therefore help to identify the environmental drivers of variations in atmospheric methane concentrations. Here we present high-resolution carbon isotope data (δ(13)C content) for methane from two ice cores from Greenland for the past two millennia. We find that the δ(13)C content underwent pronounced centennial-scale variations between 100 BC and AD 1600. With the help of two-box model calculations, we show that the centennial-scale variations in isotope ratios can be attributed to changes in pyrogenic and biogenic sources. We find correlations between these source changes and both natural climate variability--such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age--and changes in human population and land use, such as the decline of the Roman empire and the Han dynasty, and the population expansion during the medieval period.
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Atmospheric methane concentrations ranged from 590-760 ppb through much of the Holocene up to 1700 C.E.
“Ice core records show atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations range from 590 -760 ppb through much of the Holocene ( 71-75 ) up to 1700 C.E.”
From The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene (2016) · cites this paper as [74]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Sapart, C. J., Monteil, G., Prokopiou, M., van de Wal, R. S. W., Kaplan, J. O., Sperlich, P., Krumhardt, K. M., van der Veen, C., Houweling, S., Krol, M. C., Blunier, T., Sowers, T., Martinerie, P., Witrant, E., Dahl-Jensen, D., & Röckmann, T.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Sapart, C. J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2012-10
- Volume
- 490
- Issue
- 7418
- Pages
- 85-88
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2070164745
- Cited by
- 148
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 9.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- infoscience.epfl.ch
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion)
- Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- OPUS (Augsburg University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Keywords
- atmospheric methane, methane carbon isotopes, δ13C, biogenic methane, biomass burning, Roman Empire, Han dynasty, Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, natural climate variability, greenhouse gas sources and sinks, Greenland ice cores
- MeSH terms
- Atmosphere, Carbon Isotopes, Fires, Greenland, Human Activities, Ice, Methane, Population Dynamics, Biomass, Roman World, History, 15th Century, History, 16th Century, History, 17th Century, History, 18th Century, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, History, Ancient, History, Medieval, Climate Change, Holy Roman Empire
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