Methane Oxidation Rates in Yellowstone Hot Springs

A dataset from a study of biological methane oxidation across 61 hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, spanning a pH range of 1.9–9.0 and temperatures from 28.6–92.2 °C. It contains geochemical and microbial data from 17 experimental sites where methane oxidation rates were measured under ambient and air-amended conditions.

Use Cases

• Analyze methane oxidation rates (MOR) across sites with varying CH4 and NH3 concentrations to model energy supply predictions.
• Correlate microbial community data, such as the relative abundance of Methylocystaceae, with geochemical parameters like pH and temperature.
• Identify sites with significant methane oxidation but no known methanotrophs to investigate novel thermophilic lineages.
• Examine the relationship between archaeal ammonia oxidizers (e.g., Candidatus Nitrosocaldus) and lower methane oxidation rates in NH3-rich sites.

Strengths

• Data is derived from 61 distinct hot spring sites, providing broad environmental coverage.
• Measurements span an extreme temperature range of 28.6–92.2 °C, including a record 89.9 °C observation.
• Integrates multiple data types: geochemical analyses, 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, and 14CH4 microcosm assays.

Limitations

• The dataset is small at 216.4 KB, indicating limited scope and likely a low row count for statistical modeling.
• No column names or sample data are provided, complicating immediate analysis without inspecting the file.
• Focus is exclusively on Yellowstone National Park, limiting geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Figshare, authored by Alta E. G. Howells.

Collection Method

Combined field geochemical analyses, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenome sequencing, and 14CH4 microcosm assays.

Freshness

Last updated March 23, 2026.

Geography

Yellowstone National Park hot springs.