Call for Proposals: Special Issue of Limnology and Oceanography Letters: Methane in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments

We are pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue of Limnology and Oceanography Letters focusing on methane emissions from aquatic environments (Fig. 1).

Freshwater, brackish, and marine environments significantly contribute to global methane emissions, but the high degree of variability in estimates from these environments is largely responsible for the uncertainty in estimates of methane emissions from natural sources. With this special issue of Limnology and Oceanography Letters, we call for papers that contribute to minimizing the knowledge gap in understanding the spatiotemporal variability of methane emissions across the aquatic continuum and the biological, chemical, and physical processes driving it.

Surface emissions correspond to the net balance between production and consumption processes and include several biotic and abiotic mechanisms such as diffusion and lateral transport of CH₄ from the sediment; demethylation of organic compounds in oxic environments; photosynthesis, ebullition, and emission through macrophytes; and transport by various organisms. Nevertheless, the contribution of individual mechanisms to the accumulation and emission of methane is not well constrained. For example, the contribution of aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidizers to methane consumption in sediments and deeper layers of the water column at the oxic–anoxic interfaces is well studied. In contrast, in the oxic surface layers of oceans and lakes, this process is less understood with contradicting data regarding the inhibitory effects of light and oxygen on the methane oxidation process. As methane emissions are a result of production, transport, and consumption, it is essential to gain a better understanding of the organisms playing a role in the process as well as the different rates of production and consumption.

The variability in methane emissions from different types of aquatic systems and across various spatial scales, from ponds to large lakes, streams to rivers, estuaries, and oceans, hinders the generation of large-scale models. Novel methanogenesis processes discovered in the last decade are major contributors to methane emissions, yet there is minimal information on their isotopic signatures. Coupled, these two gaps in knowledge contribute to the large discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up approaches when evaluating the role of aquatic systems in the global methane budget.

We welcome contributions to this Special Issue addressing methane production, consumption, transport, and emissions from different aquatic bodies. Studies may relate to microbial communities involved in CH₄ cycling, quantification of classic and novel processes and pathways, large-scale spatiotemporal studies, isotopic characterization of novel methane sources, as well as novel methodological approaches to quantify methane emissions from water.

All contributions to this Special Issue must fit within the scope of Limnology and Oceanography Letters (https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23782242) and will be assessed with the same level of rigor as regular journal contributions. Accepted papers will be published online in Early View with a permanent DOI. A Virtual Issue of papers submitted to this Special Issue will be bound and added to the journal website collections page. All articles are Open Access, and the publication cost is US$ 2688 for ASLO members and $3360 for nonmembers. The membership cost is only $30 for students and emeritus scientists, $50 for Early Career Scientists, and no cost for students and Early Career Scientists from developing countries (see: https://www.aslo.org/membership-options-join-and-renew/join/). Waivers and discounts of article publication charges are available to corresponding authors based in low- and lower-middle income countries and locations (details: https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/23782242/resources/apc#:~:text=The%20journal%20does%20not%20charge%20any%20submission%20fees%20or%20page%20charges). Please note the journal's data publication requirement as described in Cloern (2022).

To determine suitability of a manuscript to the special issue, please submit a 250–300 words manuscript proposal (presubmission inquiry) by 30 September 2024 to the Editor in Chief of Limnology and Oceanography Letters, James E. Cloern at: [email protected], who will forward the inquiries to the SI editors for evaluation. Manuscript submissions are expected by 30 June 2025.