Evidence for phosphine production and emission from Louisiana and Florida marsh soils

A diffusion chamber and solid adsorbent preconcentration technique followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography were developed for quantifying phosphine production and emission from wetland soils. The first quantifiable emissions of phosphine from wetlands to the atmosphere are reported measured in Louisiana brackish (0.42-3.03 ng pH3/m2/h) and salt (0.91-6.52 ng PH3/m2/h) marshes. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that Florida Everglades marsh soil can also produce phosphine (1.57 ± 2.9 pg PH3/g wet sediment/h), and these values can be increased significantly, by adding additional phosphate and energy source (to 380 ± 70 pg PH3/g wet sediment/h).