Microbial diversity activity in marine pockmarks

Marine pockmarks are globally widespread seabed depressions, conventionally thought to be formed by the accumulation and expulsion of methane gas from depth. Pockmarks in shallow coastal waters are now understood to be widespread, but the influence of tides, storms, etc., terrestrial processes and anthropogenic activities mean we know little about them. Other processes have been implicated in their formation, including through the activity of microorganisms. Here, we revisit a field of pockmarks in Dunmanus Bay, Ireland using a multidisciplinary investigation of microbial abundance, diversity and activity.