Environmental scientists from The Open University (OU) have discovered that trees growing in the Amazon floodplains surrounding the Amazon River emit as much methane (CH4) into the atmosphere as all of the world’s oceans. These trees growing in seasonal wetland areas of the Amazon contribute between 15.1 and 21.2 million tonnes of CH4 to the atmosphere every year, comparable to 18 million tonnes from the oceans, or 16 – 27 million tonnes from Arctic tundra wetlands.