Going with the flow: Methane oxidation and fluid flow
Marie
de Angelis, Ph.D.
Humboldt State University
Wednesday,
July 16, 2003
Pacific Forum – 3:00 p.m.
Elevated
methane oxidation rates are typically found in marine environments
characterized by relatively high methane concentrations, including anoxic
sediments, hydrothermal vent plumes, seeps, and hydrate fields. However,
specific methane oxidation rates are not well correlated with methane
concentrations in such environments, suggesting that other parameters
control the rate at which methanotrophs can oxidize methane.
Studies
from two different methane seep sites—one associated with hydrates and
one associated with tectonic activity—will be presented. These studies
indicate that fluid flow characteristics that maximize exposure time of
methanotrophs to elevated substrate levels may be a major control of
methane oxidation rates within the water column, at the sediment/water
interface, and within deep-sea sediments. Fluid flow in such environments
may be affected by biological, geological, and physical processes—all of
which can play a role in determining local specific methane oxidation
rates.
Next:
Geodesy
in the service of marine geophysics
