Microbial methane oxidation in aerated subterranean ecosystems: an upscaling and intervention framework for climate change mitigation.

Subterranean ecosystems could significantly reduce atmospheric methane through microbial oxidation, offering a novel climate mitigation pathway with up to 100% potential in some sites.

• Why it matters: Current climate models and mitigation strategies largely overlook subterranean microbial methane sinks, despite their widespread presence and potential impact on greenhouse gas budgets.
• What they did: The study synthesizes existing knowledge and develops a framework for scaling methane uptake in aerated subterranean environments, focusing on ventilation and microbial factors, and explores cave and mine applications.
• The result: This work highlights the potential of subterranean ecosystems as passive biofilters for methane, guiding future research and intervention strategies to incorporate these sinks into climate mitigation efforts.