Data for 'Methane flux measurements along a floodplain soil moisture gradient in the Okavango Delta, Botswana'

Data-poor tropical wetlands constitute an important source of atmospheric CH₄ in the world. We studied CH₄ fluxes using closed chambers along a soil moisture gradient in a tropical seasonal swamp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, the sixth largest tropical wetland in the world. The objective of the study was to assess net CH₄ fluxes and controlling environmental factors in the delta's seasonal floodplains. Net CH₄ emissions from seasonal floodplains in the wetland were estimated at 0.072 ± 0.016 Tg a⁻¹. Microbial CH₄ oxidation of approximately 2.817 × 10⁻³ ± 0.307 × 10⁻³ Tg a⁻¹ in adjacent dry soils of the occasional floodplains accounted for the sink of 4% of the total soil CH₄ emissions from seasonal floodplains. The observed microbial CH₄ sink in the delta's dry soils is, therefore, comparable to the global average sink of 4–6%. Soil water content (SWC) and soil organic matter were the main environmental factors controlling CH₄ fluxes in both the seasonal and occasional floodplains. The optimum SWC for soil CH₄ emissions and oxidation in the delta were estimated at 50% and 15%, respectively. Electrical conductivity and pH were poorly correlated (<i>r</i>² ≤ 0.11, <i>p</i> 4 fluxes in the seasonal floodplain at Nxaraga.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Rising methane: is warming feeding warming? (Part 1)'.