Ebullition is an important pathway for methane (CH₄) emission from lakes and reservoirs. It is a main cause of uncertainty in estimating CH₄ emission owing to the large spatiotemporal variabilities of ebullition. However, a systematic synthesis on CH₄ ebullition monitoring methods, spatiotemporal variabilities, bubble release mechanisms and model simulations is currently lacking. This study summarizes the popular monitoring methods, the spatiotemporal characteristics of CH₄ ebullitive flux from lakes and reservoirs, the processes of CH₄ bubble growth and release in sediment-water continuum, the impact factors and available models. In the end, a conceptional scheme for future model development is proposed. To reduce uncertainties in estimating CH₄ fluxes from lakes and reservoirs under changing environment, an adaptive monitoring strategy should be adopted. This includes classifying lakes and reservoirs according to their respective physiochemical properties and upgrading the measurement devices. Moreover, development of process-based CH₄ ebullition models is urgently needed.