Using stable isotopes to unravel the role of sea-ice in the methane cycle

• Main Authors: Sapart, C.J., Zhou, Jiayun, Niemann, T, Röckmann, T., Delille, Bruno, van der Veen, C., Tison, J.-L.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Physical; chemical; mathematical & earth Sciences; Space science; astronomy & astrophysics; Physique; chimie; mathématiques & sciences de la terre; Aérospatiale; astronomie & astrophysique; Arctic; Southern Ocean; Barrow; Climate change; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/158328

Methane (CH4) plays an important role in the Earth’s climate system. The atmospheric CH4 concentration has increased in concert with the industrialization, but since the mid 80’s the CH4 growth rate decreased to reach a near-zero level in 2000 and started to increase again from 2007 on. However, the underlying variations in sources and/or sinks that cause these variations are to date not well understood. To predict future climate, it is essential to unravel the processes controlling the CH4 cycle, especially in the Arctic regions, which are highly vulnerable to climate change and contain large CH4 reservoirs. Recently, an unexpected CH4 excess has been reported above Arctic sea-ice showing that sea-ice might play a significant role in the CH4 cycle. Nonetheless, the nature of the process leading to CH4 production in or nearby sea-ice has not yet been identified. We applied a new multi-proxy approach merging atmospheric chemistry, glaciology and biogeochemistry to understand and quantify the processes responsible for the CH4 excess above sea-ice. We performed CH4 isotope (13C and D) analyses on sea-ice samples, as well as microbial (lipid biomarkers) and geochemical measurements, to determine the possible pathways involved in CH4 production and removal in or nearby sea-ice. We will present results from sea-ice samples drilled above the shallow-shelf in Barrow (Alaska) from January to June 2009 as well as above deep Southern Ocean locations in 2013. Those results allow investigating the seasonality and spatial variability in methane formation and removal pathways associated to the methane enclosed in sea-ice.