Carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of bacterial methane in a shallow freshwater lake

Anoxic sediments from freshwater environments such as bogs, swamps, and lakes undergoing early diagenesis are frequently characterized by the formation of biogenic methane. Freshwater biogenic methanes exhibit carbon and hydrogen isotopic values strongly depleted in C-13 and deuterium relative to the respective values for carbon dioxide and formation water. The percentages of methane generated by fermentation and carbon dioxide reduction can be estimated by comparison of hydrogen isotopes in the formation water and methane. On the basis of these hydrogen isotope data, about 75% of the methane formation in Wurmsee comes from acetate reduction. Fermentation is thus the dominant although not exclusive process. Carbon dioxide reduction contributed the balance of the bacterial methane generated. 35 references, 5 figures, 1 table