Water column methanotrophs in Wadden Sea and at cold seep in North Sea

The ocean's methane emission to the atmosphere is dominated by continental shelves where cold seeps are globally common features. Seeps emit methane into the hydrosphere, but temporal variations and controls of seep activity and the efficiency of the microbial methane filter in the water column are scarce. Here we address this knowledge gaps by measuring whole water column methane inventories and methanotrophic activity at a temporal resolution of 226 hours at a North Sea cold seep (Doggerbank) in summer and autumn and also in the Dutch Wadden Sea.

海洋向大气排放的甲烷以大陆架区域为主，冷泉（cold seeps）是全球范围内广泛分布的常见海底地貌。冷泉会将甲烷释放至水圈（hydrosphere）中，但目前关于冷泉活动的时间变化规律、调控机制以及水柱内微生物甲烷滤器（microbial methane filter）的效率相关研究仍较为匮乏。本研究针对上述知识空白，于夏季和秋季在北海冷泉多格班克（Doggerbank）以及荷兰瓦登海（Dutch Wadden Sea）开展观测，以226小时的时间分辨率测定了完整水柱的甲烷储量与甲烷氧化活性。