Enhanced CO₂ uptake at a shallow Arctic Ocean seep field overwhelms the positive warming potential of emitted methane.

ABSTRACT: Continued warming of the Arctic Ocean in coming decades is projected to trigger the release of teragrams (1 Tg = 10⁶ tons) of methane from thawing subsea permafrost on shallow continental shelves and dissociation of methane hydrate on upper continental slopes. On the shallow shelves (<100 m water depth), methane released from the seafloor may reach the atmosphere and potentially amplify global warming. On the other hand, biological uptake of carbon dioxide (CO₂) has the potential to offset the positive warming potential of emitted methane, a process that has not received detailed consideration for these settings. Continuous sea-air gas flux data collected over a shallow ebullitive methane seep field on the Svalbard margin reveal atmospheric CO₂ uptake rates

SUBMITTER: Pohlman JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5448205 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature