Methane and nitrous oxide distributions across the North American Arctic Ocean during summer, 2015 ...
We collected Arctic Ocean water column samples for methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) analysis on three separate cruises in the summer and fall of 2015, covering a ~10,000 km transect from the Bering Sea to Baffin Bay. Our sampling program provides a large-scale, three-dimensional view of methane...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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University of British Columbia
2016
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0305826 https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0305826 |
| Summary: | We collected Arctic Ocean water column samples for methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) analysis on three separate cruises in the summer and fall of 2015, covering a ~10,000 km transect from the Bering Sea to Baffin Bay. Our sampling program provides a large-scale, three-dimensional view of methane and nitrous oxide concentrations across contrasting hydrographic environments, from the deep oligotrophic waters of the deep Canada Basin and Baffin Bay, to the productive continental shelf regions of the Bering and Chukchi Shelves. Percent saturation relative to atmospheric equilibrium ranged from 30-800% and 75-145% for CH₄ and N₂O, respectively, with the highest concentrations of both gases occurring in waters overlying the continental shelf in the northern Chukchi Sea. Nitrification and denitrification in the sediments of the Bering and Chukchi Shelves constituted a major source of N₂O to the water column, and the resulting high N₂O concentrations were transported across the entire North American Arctic. ... |
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