Effects of climate change on methane emissions from seafloor sediments in the Arctic Ocean: A review ...

• Main Authors: James, Rachael H., Bousquet, Philippe, Bussmann, Ingeborg, Haeckel, Matthias, Kipfer, Rolf, Leifer, Ira, Niemann, Helge, Ostrovsky, Ilia, Piskozub, Jacek, Rehder, Gregor, Treude, Tina, Vielstädte, Lisa, Greinert, Jens
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2016
• Subjects: info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/550; info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/560; Earth sciences; Paleontology, paleozoology; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Climate change; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000117107; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/117107

Large quantities of methane are stored in hydrates and permafrost within shallow marine sediments in the Arctic Ocean. These reservoirs are highly sensitive to climate warming, but the fate of methane released from sediments is uncertain. Here, we review the principal physical and biogeochemical processes that regulate methane fluxes across the seabed, the fate of this methane in the water column, and potential for its release to the atmosphere. We find that, at present, fluxes of dissolved methane are significantly moderated by anaerobic and aerobic oxidation of methane. If methane fluxes increase then a greater proportion of methane will be transported by advection or in the gas phase, which reduces the efficiency of the methanotrophic sink. Higher freshwater discharge to Arctic shelf seas may increase stratification and inhibit transfer of methane gas to surface waters, although there is some evidence that increased stratification may lead to warming of sub-pycnocline waters, increasing the potential for ... : Limnology and Oceanography, 61 (S1) ...