de Groot, Tim R;
Menoud, Malika;
van Bleijswijk, Judith;
van Leeuwen, Sonja M;
van der Molen, J;
Hernando-Morales, Victor;
Czerski, Helen;
... Niemann, Helge; + view all
(2024)
Tidal and seasonal influence on cold seep activity and methanotroph efficiency in the North Sea.
Communications Earth & Environment
, 5
(1)
, Article 368. 10.1038/s43247-024-01483-8.
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Abstract
The ocean’s methane emission to the atmosphere is dominated by continental shelves where cold seeps are globally common features. Seeps emit methane into the hydrosphere, but temporal variations and controls of seep activity and the efficiency of the microbial methane filter in the water column are scarce. Here we address these knowledge gaps by measuring whole water column methane inventories and methanotrophic activity at a temporal resolution of 2 hours at a North Sea cold seep (Doggerbank) in summer and autumn. We found that bottom water methane inventories were 68% (summer) and 11% (autumn) higher during low tide compared to high tide coinciding with increased methanotrophic activity. The activity of methanotrophs was reduced during autumn when the water column was fully mixed and matched by higher methane emissions to the atmosphere. Our results show that tides are underappreciated controls on seepage and methanotrophic activity and methane sea–atmosphere fluxes.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Tidal and seasonal influence on cold seep activity and methanotroph efficiency in the North Sea |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s43247-024-01483-8 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01483-8 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2024 Springer Nature Limited. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10194933 |
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