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Methane in coastal and offshore waters of the Arabian Sea

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Methane in coastal and offshore waters of the Arabian Sea
 
Creator Jayakumar, D.A.
Naqvi, S.W.A.
Narvekar, P.V.
George, M.D.
 
Subject methane
coastal waters
offshore
carbon cycle
coastal upwelling
 
Description Measurements of methane (CH sub(4)) made during two surveys in the eastern and central Arabian Sea in April-May, 1996, and August-September, 1997, corresponding to late Spring Intermonsoon (SI) and Southwest Monsoon (SWM) seasons, respectively, revealed high spatial and temporal variability in surface saturation (110-2521%). The highest values were observed during the SWM in the inner shelf where coastal upwelling combined with freshwater runoff to produce very strong near-surface stratification. These values might result to a large extent from (CH sub(4)) inputs from coastal wetlands through seasonal runoff as abnormally high saturations (up to approx 13,000%) were recorded in the estuarine surface water. In situ production of (CH sub(4)), favoured by very high biological production in conjunction with the prevalence of suboxic conditions in the upwelled water, could be the other major (CH sub(4)) source. In comparison, sedimentary inputs of (CH sub(4)) seemed to be of lesser importance in spite of previously-reported occurrence of gas-charged sediments in this region. Methane profiles in the open central Arabian Sea showed two maxima. The more pronounced deeper maximum, occurring at 150-200 m depth, was similar to the feature seen elsewhere in the oceans, but was probably intensified here due to an acute oxygen deficiency. It showed some correlation with the subsurface particle maximum characteristics of the denitrifying layer. The dominant mechanism of its formation might be in situ production within particles rather than advection from the continental shelf as concluded by previous workers. The less pronounced and previously unreported shallower maximum, occurring in the well-oxygenated upper 50 m of the water column, was more dynamic probably as a result of variability of the balance between (CH sub(4)) production due to biological activity and its losses through microbial oxidation and air-sea exchange.
 
Date 2009-01-07T10:21:25Z
2009-01-07T10:21:25Z
2001
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Marine Chemistry, Vol.74; 1-13p.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/1538
 
Language en
 
Rights Copyright [2001]. All efforts have been made to respect the copyright to the best of our knowledge. Inadvertent omissions, if brought to our notice, stand for correction and withdrawal of document from this repository.
 
Publisher Elsevier