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Title: Determining the flux of methane into Hudson Canyon at the edge of methane clathrate hydrate stability: METHANE FLUX INTO HUDSON CANYON

Journal Article · · Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gc006421· OSTI ID:1532975
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)
  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA (United States)
  3. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
  4. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
  5. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)
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Methane seeps were investigated in Hudson Canyon, the largest shelf-break canyon on the northern U.S. Atlantic Margin. The seeps investigated are located at or updip of the nominal limit of methane clathrate hydrate stability. The acoustic identification of bubble streams was used to guide water column sampling in a 32 km2 region within the canyon's thalweg. By incorporating measurements of dissolved methane concentration with methane oxidation rates and current velocity into a steady state box model, the total emission of methane to the water column in this region was estimated to be 12 kmol methane per day (range: 6–24 kmol methane per day). These analyses suggest that the emitted methane is largely retained inside the canyon walls below 300 m water depth, and that it is aerobically oxidized to near completion within the larger extent of Hudson Canyon. Based on estimated methane emissions and measured oxidation rates, the oxidation of this methane to dissolved CO2 is expected to have minimal influences on seawater pH.

Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); US Geological Survey, Boulder, CO (United States); USGS Eastern Region, Kearneysville, WV (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
Grant/Contract Number:
FE0013999; FE0002911; FE0005806
OSTI ID:
1532975
Journal Information:
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 17, Issue 10; ISSN 1525-2027
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 20 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (5)

Anomalous Concentration of Methane Emissions at the Continental Shelf Edge of the Northern Cascadia Margin journal March 2019
Investigations of Aerobic Methane Oxidation in Two Marine Seep Environments: Part 2—Isotopic Kinetics journal November 2019
Limited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf journal January 2018
Carbon isotopes (13C and 14C) and concentrations of dissolved methane (CH4) in surface waters sampled in June 2019 at the Coal Oil Point seep field of the Santa Barbara Basin dataset January 2020
Radiocarbon in methane from waters of the US Atlantic and Pacific margins as collected on R/V Hugh Sharp cruise HRS1713 and R/V Rachel Carson cruise RC0026 in 2017 and 2019 dataset January 2021

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58 GEOSCIENCES
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