Everglades Reveals Complex Climate Impact

Yale study analyzes greenhouse gas fluxes in Everglades' mangroves and freshwater marshes

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A new study from Yale School of the Environment scientists has analyzed the greenhouse gas fluxes in the Florida Everglades' mangroves and freshwater marshes, providing a more detailed approach for guiding restoration efforts. The study found that while the Everglades remains a major carbon sink, capturing an average of 13.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, it also releases methane, which accounts for 30% of warming since industrialization.

Why it matters

Understanding the Everglades' complex role as both a carbon sink and methane emitter is crucial for informing effective climate change mitigation and restoration strategies for this vital ecosystem. The findings provide a roadmap for maximizing the Everglades' climate benefits by identifying conditions that enhance carbon capture and storage.

The details

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that between 2003-2020, the Everglades increased carbon capture by 18%, with saltwater mangroves having the greatest capacity to capture carbon. Only about 16% of the carbon dioxide captured was offset by methane emissions in the mangroves. In freshwater marshes, almost 82% of carbon dioxide captured was offset by net methane emissions.

  • The study analyzed data from 2003 to 2020.
  • The team also reviewed atmospheric carbon measurements above Everglades study sites collected by NASA by plane between 2022 and 2024.

The players

Yale School of the Environment

The academic institution that conducted the study on the Everglades' greenhouse gas fluxes.

Sparkle Malone

Assistant professor of ecosystem carbon capture and coauthor of the study.

Peter Raymond

The Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry and co-director of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, who coauthored the study.

Jonathan Gewirtzman

Doctoral candidate '23 MPhil who coauthored the study.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“While different wetland types vary in how they capture and release greenhouse gases, the study confirms that the Everglades continues to function as a major carbon sink. This diversity offers important insights for strengthening climate resilience and guiding restoration efforts.”

— Sparkle Malone, Assistant professor of ecosystem carbon capture (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

“Freshwater marshes, while associated with higher methane emissions, remain invaluable. They play a critical role in flood control, water filtration, habitat provision, and carbon storage. Rather than diminishing the Everglades' climate value, the findings provide a roadmap for maximizing it.”

— Sparkle Malone, Assistant professor of ecosystem carbon capture (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

“This sort of broad collaboration between government agencies and academics combining long-term monitoring data with cutting-edge methods is necessary to understand complex and important ecosystems like the Florida Everglades.”

— Peter Raymond, The Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry and co-director of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

“Our work shows that you can't consider carbon dioxide or methane in isolation. We really have to understand the balance of ecological processes, and this information can inform better decisions.”

— Jonathan Gewirtzman, Doctoral candidate '23 MPhil (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

What’s next

The study's findings can inform land managers' efforts to prioritize protection and restoration of the Everglades, such as preserving mangroves from hydrologic disruption and storm damage to maintain one of the most effective natural carbon sinks on Earth.

The takeaway

The Everglades' complex role as both a significant carbon sink and methane emitter underscores the importance of understanding wetland ecosystems as integrated systems, where carbon dioxide uptake and methane emissions interact in nuanced ways. This knowledge can guide more effective climate change mitigation and restoration strategies for this vital Florida ecosystem.