Methane oxidation in African and European rivers depends on stream size and wetland connectivity

[en] Rivers are large natural sources of methane (CH4) resulting from the net balance of inputs from methanogenesis and removal by methane oxidation (MOX). Here, we use an extensive dataset collected from African and European rivers to investigate spatial patterns and causes of variability of MOX. The MOX rates were highest in African streams draining flooded forests and increased with river catchment size. In large rivers, MOX represented the more important pathway of dissolved in-stream CH4 removal compared to diffusive degassing to the atmosphere; but this relative share was minimal in small rivers and was, on average, higher in African streams (37%) than European streams (9%). The relationships between MOX rates and potential drivers such as total suspended matter, pH, or dissolved nutrient concentrations did not follow the patterns expected from controlled experiments reported in the literature and reflected the broad spatial patterns across and within the studied river networks driven by stream size and wetland connectivity.

Research Center/Unit :

FOCUS - Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch - ULiège

Disciplines :

Aquatic sciences & oceanology

Author, co-author :

Borges, Alberto ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Chemical Oceanography Unit (COU)

Morana, Cédric ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Chemical Oceanography Unit (COU) ; KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Roland, Fleur ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Chemical Oceanography Unit (COU)

Okello, William ; National Fisheries Resources Research Institute, Jinja, Uganda. ; Soroti University, Soroti, Uganda.

Isumbisho, Mwapu ; Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bowanga, Jean-Jacques; Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kashala, Likoko ; Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Omeja, Patrick ; Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Champenois, Willy ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Chemical Oceanography Unit (COU)

Bouillon, Steven ; KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Language :

English

Title :

Methane oxidation in African and European rivers depends on stream size and wetland connectivity

Publication date :

17 July 2026

Journal title :

Science Advances

eISSN :

2375-2548

Publisher :

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Volume :

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8250

Funders :

F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
FWO - Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen
BELSPO - Belgian Federal Science Policy Office

Available on ORBi :

since 23 July 2026

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