Ruminant Methane δ( 13 C/ 12 C) Values: Relation to Atmospheric Methane
- 6 March 1981
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 211 (4486) , 1044-1046
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7466376
Abstract
The delta(13C/12C)--values of methane produced by fistulated steers, dairy cattle, and wethers, and dairy and beef cattle herds show a bimodal distribution that appears to be correlated with the plant type (C3 or C4, that is, producing either a three- or a four-carbon acid in the first step of photosynthesis) consumed by the animals. These results indicate that cattle and sheep, on a global basis, release methane with an average delta(13C/12C) value of -60 and -63 per mil, respectively. Together they are a source of atmospheric methane whose delta(13C/12C) is similar to published values for marsh gas and cannot explain the 20 per mil higher values for atmospheric methane.This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
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