<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "https://jats.nlm.nih.gov/nlm-dtd/publishing/3.0/journalpublishing3.dtd">
<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" article-type="research-article" specific-use="SMUR" dtd-version="3.0" xml:lang="en">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">EGUsphere</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>EGUsphere</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn pub-type="epub"></issn>
<publisher><publisher-name>Copernicus Publications</publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/egusphere-2026-2080</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>Methane fluxes from tropical wetlands of the Orinoco River Basin and their regional implications</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Fernandes Amaral</surname>
<given-names>Joao Henrique</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8992-6082</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Botía</surname>
<given-names>Santiago</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5447-3968</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Torres Quintero</surname>
<given-names>Paula</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Gutierrez Rincon</surname>
<given-names>Anghy Sthephany</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0016-5599</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ho</surname>
<given-names>David</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1592-448X</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Sanchez</surname>
<given-names>Adriana</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Avila-Diaz</surname>
<given-names>Alvaro</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0404-4559</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Uhde</surname>
<given-names>Antje</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Quesada</surname>
<given-names>Benjamin</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8827-4801</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Benavides</surname>
<given-names>Juan C.</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9694-2195</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff5">
<sup>5</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Winton</surname>
<given-names>R. Scott</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff6">
<sup>6</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Sierra</surname>
<given-names>Carlos A.</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0009-4169</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Navarro-Ramírez</surname>
<given-names>Miguel A.</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff7">
<sup>7</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Pardo Buitrago</surname>
<given-names>Diego David</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff8">
<sup>8</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Hantson</surname>
<given-names>Stijn</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>Earth System Science Program, School of Sciences and Engineering, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<label>2</label>
<addr-line>Department of Biogeochemical Signals, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<label>3</label>
<addr-line>Biology Department, School of Sciences and Engineering, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff4">
<label>4</label>
<addr-line>Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff5">
<label>5</label>
<addr-line>Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff6">
<label>6</label>
<addr-line>Department of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff7">
<label>7</label>
<addr-line>Grupo de Investigación QUIMERA, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio, Colombia</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff8">
<label>8</label>
<addr-line>Grupo de Investigación EYSI, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio, Colombia</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>29</day>
<month>04</month>
<year>2026</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>2026</volume>
<fpage>1</fpage>
<lpage>34</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2026 Joao Henrique Fernandes Amaral et al.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-2080/">This article is available from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-2080/</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-2080/egusphere-2026-2080.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-2080/egusphere-2026-2080.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>The Llanos del Orinoco, a vast tropical savanna floodplain in northern South America, plays a significant yet understudied role in the global methane (CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;) budget. This study synthesizes existing data to evaluate CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; emissions from the region, highlighting the interplay between natural processes and anthropogenic influences. Top-down and bottom-up estimates for 2018 reveal annual CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; emissions ranging from 3.27 &amp;plusmn; 0.71 to 5.31 &amp;plusmn; 2.50, with wetlands contributing 41&amp;ndash;70 % of total fluxes. Seasonal variability follows precipitation patterns, with greater emissions occurring during the rainy season (April&amp;ndash;October). However, discrepancies between global biogeochemical models and sparse field measurements underscore significant uncertainties, exacerbated by inconsistencies in inundation mapping and outdated local data. Anthropogenic activities, including oil extraction, livestock farming, and expanding rice cultivation, further modulate CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; fluxes, though their impacts remain poorly quantified. Historical trends show declining precipitation and increasing temperatures, with models predicting more extreme weather events, potentially reducing wetland extent but favouring CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; release during remaining inundated periods. Critical research gaps, including the need for updated field measurements, improved inundation mapping, and a better understanding of neglected habitats like peatlands and seasonal wetlands, are discussed. Addressing these gaps is essential for refining global and regional CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; budgets and developing mitigation strategies. This work calls for integrated monitoring efforts to reconcile model disparities, assess land-use impacts, and predict responses to climate change, ensuring accurate representation of the Llanos del Orinoco in regional and global carbon cycle models.</p>
</abstract>
<counts><page-count count="34"/></counts>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="gs1">
<funding-source>Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación</funding-source>
<award-id>455-2023</award-id>
</award-group>
<award-group id="gs2">
<funding-source>Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt</funding-source>
<award-id>C2SAV project, Grant ID:010N24003</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
</article-meta>
</front>
<body/>
<back>
</back>
</article>