Sources and sinks of methane in sea ice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19568451 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Caroline Jacques (0000-0001-7377-3782, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Célia J Sapart, Célia Sapart (0000-0003-0745-4825, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Francois Fripiat (0000-0002-2591-6301, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Gauthier Carnat (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Jiayun Zhou (0000-0001-9578-794X, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Bruno Delille (0000-0003-0502-8101, University of Liège), Thomas Röckmann (0000-0002-6688-8968, Utrecht University), Carina van der Veen (0000-0001-6827-9616, Utrecht University), Helge Niemann (0000-0002-3468-8304, Utrecht University), Tim Haskell (Callaghan Innovation), Jean-Louis Tison, Jean‐Louis Tison (0000-0002-9758-3454, Université Libre de Bruxelles) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2021-10-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Elementa Science of the Anthropocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2325-1026 • E-ISSN: 2325-1026 |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1525/elementa.2020.00167 |
| OpenAlex | W3210813512 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 64 |
We report on methane (CH4) stable isotope (δ13C and δ2H) measurements from landfast sea ice collected near Barrow (Utqiagvik, Alaska) and Cape Evans (Antarctica) over the winter-to-spring transition. These measurements provide novel insights into pathways of CH4 production and consumption in sea ice. We found substantial differences between the two sites. Sea ice overlying the shallow shelf of Barrow was supersaturated in CH4 with a clear microbial origin, most likely from methanogenesis in the sediments. We estimated that in situ CH4 oxidation consumed a substantial fraction of the CH4 being supplied to the sea ice, partly explaining the large range of isotopic values observed (δ13C between –68.5 and –48.5 ‰ and δ2H between –246 and –104 ‰). Sea ice at Cape Evans was also supersaturated in CH4 but with surprisingly high δ13C values (between –46.9 and –13.0 ‰), whereas δ2H values (between –313 and –113 ‰) were in the range of those observed at Barrow. These are the first measurements of CH4 isotopic composition in Antarctic sea ice. Our data set suggests a potential combination of a hydrothermal source, in the vicinity of the Mount Erebus, with aerobic CH4 formation in sea ice, although the metabolic pathway for the latter still needs to be elucidated. Our observations show that sea ice needs to be considered as an active biogeochemical interface, contributing to CH4 production and consumption, which disputes the standing paradigm that sea ice is an inert barrier passively accumulating CH4 at the ocean-atmosphere boundary
Antarctic sea ice · Arctic ice pack · Biogeochemical cycle · Cryosphere · Ice shelf · Methane · Sea ice · Stable isotope ratio · δ13C · Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics · Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics · Chemistry · Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena · Environmental Chemistry · Geology · Oceanography
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |