Methane Production

The conversion of substrate in the soil to methane leaving the soil, , is calculated as a first order decay reaction, depending on the soil organic matter content:

                           (6.79)

where:

f(T) is the common response function for soil temperature previously introduced in CoupModel. In other existing models, methane production always refers to a Q₁₀ function (Van Bodegom, 2001), (Van der Peijl, 1999), with Q₁₀ values ranging between 2 (Huang, 1998) and 6 (Yu, 2003).Highest microbial activity is reached between 30 and 40°C, while no production occurs below 0°C (Le Mer, 2001).

f_Anvol is the volumetric anaerobic fraction.