Methane and sulfide fluxes in permanent anoxia: in situ studies at the Dvurechenskii mud volcano (Sorokin Trough, Black Sea)

DOI

The Dvurechenskii mud volcano (DMV), located in permanently anoxic waters at 2060 m depth (Sorokin Trough, Black Sea), was visited during the M72/2 cruise with the RV Meteor to investigate the methane and sulfide release from mud volcanoes into the Black Sea hydrosphere. We studied benthic fluxes of methane and sulfide, and the factors controlling transport, consumption and production of both compounds within the sediment. The pie shaped mud volcano showed temperature anomalies as well as solute and gas fluxes indicating high fluid flow at a small elevation north of the geographical center. The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction (SR) was excluded from this zone due to fluid-flow induced sulfate limitation and a fresh mud flow and consequently methane escaped into the water column with a rate of 0.46 mol/m2/d. In the outer center of the mud volcano fluid flow and total methane flux were decreased, correlating with an increase in sulfate penetration into the sediment, and with higher SR and AOM rates. Here between 50-70% of the methane flux (0.07-0.1 mol/m2/d) was consumed within the upper 10 cm of the sediment. Also at the edge of the mud volcano fluid flow and rates of methane and sulfate turnover were substantial. The overall amount of dissolved methane released from the mud volcano into the water column was significant with a discharge of 1.4x107 mol/yr. The DMV maintains also high areal rates of methane-fueled sulfide production of on average 0.05 mol/m2/d. However, we concluded that sulfide and methane emission into the hydrosphere from deep water mud volcanoes does not significantly contribute to the sulfide and methane inventory of the Black Sea.

Identifier
DOI https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.738356
Related Identifier References https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.05.031
Metadata Access https://ws.pangaea.de/oai/provider?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=datacite4&identifier=oai:pangaea.de:doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.738356
Provenance
Creator Lichtschlag, Anna ORCID logo; Felden, Janine ORCID logo; Wenzhöfer, Frank; Schubotz, Florence ORCID logo; Ertefai, Tobias F; Boetius, Antje ORCID logo; de Beer, Dirk ORCID logo
Publisher PANGAEA
Publication Year 2010
Funding Reference Seventh Framework Programme https://doi.org/10.13039/100011102 Crossref Funder ID 226354 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/226354 Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Mans Impact On European Seas; Sixth Framework Programme https://doi.org/10.13039/100011103 Crossref Funder ID 511234 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/511234 Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas
Rights Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
OpenAccess true
Representation
Resource Type Publication Series of Datasets; Collection
Format application/zip
Size 12 datasets
Discipline Earth System Research
Spatial Coverage (34.977W, 44.277S, 34.983E, 44.288N); Dvurechenskii; Dvurechenskii mud vulcano
Temporal Coverage Begin 2007-02-26T21:01:00Z
Temporal Coverage End 2007-03-06T01:29:16Z