Greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-wetlands

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands known for?Estimated 161 Tg/year, representing 20-30% of atmospheric methane
2. What is the scientific name?Not applicable to a process; refers to various wetland ecosystems
3. What is the primary emissions?Methane (CH4) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
4. What are wetlands and why do they make gas?Wetlands are wet, squishy places with waterlogged soils. Because the soil has very little oxygen, tiny microbes called methanogens break down food and release methane.
5. How much methane do wetlands release each year?Wetlands release about 161 teragrams of methane every year, which is roughly 20-30% of all the methane in the atmosphere.

Methanogenesis: The biological production of methane by microorganisms, typically in anaerobic conditions.
Anaerobic Conditions: Environments lacking free oxygen, where specific metabolic pathways occur.
Biogeochemical Cycle: The pathways by which chemical elements or molecules move through biotic and abiotic components of Earth.