Consumption of dissolved methane in the deep ocean 1
Oceanic dissolved methane concentrations are normally in excess of atmospheric equilibrium values in surface waters but show a rapid decrease with depth. Deep North Atlantic waters have only ca. 30% of their atmospheric equilibrium values of methane and deep North Pacific waters have only ca. 10%. M...
| Published in: | Limnology and Oceanography |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1978
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.1978.23.6.1207 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.4319%2Flo.1978.23.6.1207 https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.1978.23.6.1207 |
| Summary: | Oceanic dissolved methane concentrations are normally in excess of atmospheric equilibrium values in surface waters but show a rapid decrease with depth. Deep North Atlantic waters have only ca. 30% of their atmospheric equilibrium values of methane and deep North Pacific waters have only ca. 10%. Methane consumption rates calculated from methane analyses and water mass ages derived from published data on 3 H/ 3 He ages, 14 C ages, and model calculations show that both methane and oxygen are rapidly consumed in “young” water but, while oxygen consumption continues at a low rate throughout the deep ocean, methane consumption virtually ceases within about 100 years of isolation from the surface ocean. |
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