| Context: Atmospheric methane concentration during the last glacial shows a rapid rise at climatic warming. The current scientific debate on this methane concentration rise attributes it to methane fluxes from wetlands, or from catastrophic release of marine clathrates. During parts of the last glacial (in particular Oxygen Isotope Stage 3) evidence has been found of the existence of widespread wetlands on the Eurasian continent. Sensitivity of these wetlands to climatic warming may have contributed significantly to the global methane flux during interstadials. Aim: Quantification of the relation between climatic warming and methane fluxes from wetlands by coupling a wetland methane flux model to climate model output for different time slices of Oxygen Isotope Stage 3. |
