A method for analyzing sources of methane in soil-tree continuum based on stable isotope tracing

By injecting stable isotope-labeled methane gas into deep soil and simultaneously sampling soil profiles and tree trunk height, the problem of determining the source of methane in tree trunks was solved, enabling direct tracking and accurate determination of the migration process of soil-sourced methane and improving the reliability of identification.

CN122171399APending Publication Date: 2026-06-09HAINAN UNIV
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
HAINAN UNIV
Filing Date
2026-03-30
Publication Date
2026-06-09

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing technologies struggle to accurately determine the source of methane in tree trunks, and there is a lack of systematic methods to track the migration process of methane from soil sources to tree trunks, resulting in low accuracy and reliability in identifying the source of methane in tree trunks.

Method used

A deep soil stable isotope tracer device was used to inject δ13C-CH4 gas. Combined with stratified sampling of soil profiles at different depths and synchronous monitoring of tree trunks at multiple heights, the migration process of methane was tracked, and the source of methane in the tree trunks was determined by the characteristics of the tracer signal changes.

Benefits of technology

This method enables direct tracking of the migration process of methane from soil to tree trunks, improves the accuracy and reliability of determining the source of methane in tree trunks, and establishes a collaborative monitoring method for the soil-tree trunk continuum, which has a wide range of applications.

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Abstract

This invention provides a method for analyzing the methane source in a soil-trunk continuum based on stable isotope tracing, belonging to the field of ecological environment monitoring and stable isotope tracing technology. This invention injects stable isotope-labeled methane gas into deep soil, giving soil-derived methane a identifiable tracer signal. Combined with stratified sampling of soil profiles at different depths and simultaneous multi-height monitoring of tree trunks, the migration process of methane from soil to tree trunks can be continuously tracked. Compared to existing methods that rely solely on the correlation between methane concentration and flux in tree trunks and soil for inference, this invention provides more direct source evidence. Furthermore, this invention uses artificially enriched stable isotope-labeled signals instead of natural background isotope signals as the primary criterion, effectively reducing the interference of fluctuations in natural isotope abundance signals and changes in environmental factors on the results, thereby improving the reliability of methane source identification in tree trunks.
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