Methane emission from rice fields in mainland China: Amount and seasonal and spatial distribution

China is the largest rice producer in the world. Methane (CH 4 ) emission from its rice fields has been widely measured since the late 1980s. This study collected the results of available field research, totaling 204 season‐treatment measurements conducted on 23 sites. Analysis of these data shows that input of organic material, such as green manure, animal waste, and crop straw, increases CH 4 emission by a factor of 2. Average CH 4 flux from intermittently irrigated rice fields is 53% of that from continuously flooded rice fields; and average CH 4 emission flux from late rice fields is 1.6 and 2.3 times greater than flux from early and single rice fields, respectively. There are regional differences in emission factors and a trend of decreasing emission from south to north. On the basis of earlier estimates of CH 4 emission from Chinese rice fields, and recent reports on the use of crop residue and green manure, it is presumed that half of the rice fields in China receive organic input. From the frequency of various water management events indicated in the surveyed field experiments, as well as from specific statements in individual reports, it is presumed that 2/3 of irrigated rice fields have been intermittently flooded. On the basis of these assumptions, the region‐specific emission factors, and 1995 data on rice cultivation area, CH 4 emission from growing‐season rice fields in Mainland China was estimated to be 7.67 Tg yr −1 , ranging from 5.82 to 9.57 Tg yr −1 , due to uncertainties in the areas receiving organic inputs, and intermittent irrigation. Generalized seasonal flux patterns were developed for early, late, and single rice. Monthly distributions of emission were estimated from these patterns and rice calendars. The highest emission rate occurred in August. Spatially, emission hot spots included the plains of Dongting Lake in Hunan Province, Boyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, the delta region of Qiantang River in Zhejiang Province, and the Sichuan Basin. Nearly 90% of all Mainland China CH 4 emission occurred between 23°N and 33°N.