Model estimates for the mean gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere under the conditions of the present-day climate and its changes expected in the 21st century

Annual mean fluxes of CO₂ and oxygen across the sea surface are estimated with the use of numerical modeling for several regions located in the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio zones. The present-day climatic conditions and the climatic conditions expected in the middle and at the end of the 21st century are considered. Specific features of gas exchange under a strong wind that are associated with gas exchange by bubbles and with changes in the air-water difference of the gas concentrations were taken into account in the calculations. The estimates obtained differ substantially from the results based on the traditional approach, which disregards the above features. A considerable increase in the absorption of CO₂ by the ocean, which is mainly caused by the continuing increase in the CO₂ concentration in the air during its small changes in the ocean, is expected in the 21st century. At the same time, no trends are revealed in the annual mean fluxes of oxygen across the ocean surface. The conclusion is made that, in calculations of CO₂ absorption by the world ocean, it is necessary to take into account both specific features of gas transfer under a strong wind and an increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO₂.     

Radionuclides in the Natural–Anthropogenic System Comprising a Nuclear Power Plant and a Cooling Reservoir

The sources of technological radionuclides coming into the ecosystem of a nuclear power plant (NPP) cooling reservoir are considered and estimated. The information about the volumetric and mass activity in the biotic and abiotic components of the reservoir ecosystem is analyzed. The activity distribution between the components was determined. The activity reserve in the ecosystems of the cooling reservoirs in central European Russia has been estimated. The real radioactive input from NPPs to the reservoir is shown to be insignificant. It is concluded that cooling reservoirs can be used for any needs of the national economy and for the recreation (with respect to the radiation factor).     

Influx of Streaming Methane into Anoxic Waters of the Black Sea Basin

Oceanology - Based on long-term data on the spatial distribution and fluxes of streaming (bubbling) methane in the Black Sea, the study considers various types of streaming gas emissions...     

Heat and mass transfer effects during displacement of deepwater methane hydrate to the surface of Lake Baikal

The present paper focuses on heat and mass exchange processes in methane hydrate fragments during in situ displacement from the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) to the water surface of Lake Baikal. After being extracted from the methane hydrate deposit at the lakebed, hydrate fragments were placed into a container with transparent walls and a bottom grid. There were no changes in the hydrate fragments during ascent within the GHSZ. The water temperature in the container remained the same as that of the ambient water (~3.5 °С). However, as soon as the container crossed the upper border of the GHSZ, first signs of hydrate decomposition and transformation into free methane gas were observed. The gas filled the container and displaced water from it. At 300 m depth, the upper and lower thermometers in the container simultaneously recorded noticeable decreases of temperature. The temperature in the upper part of the container decreased to –0.25 °С at about 200 m depth, after which the temperature remained constant until the water surface was reached. The temperature at the bottom of the container reached –0.25 °С at about 100 m depth, after which it did not vary during further ascent. These observed effects could be explained by the formation of a gas phase in the container and an ice layer on the hydrate surface caused by heat consumption during hydrate decomposition (self-preservation effect). However, steady-state simulations suggest that the forming ice layer is too thin to sustain the hydrate internal pressure required to protect the hydrate from decomposition. Thus, the mechanism of self-preservation remains unclear.     

Methane in the Sevastopol coastal area, Black Sea

Concentrations of dissolved methane in seawater and bottom sediments, as well as of methane emanating from gas seeps were measured at 18 stations including several small bays in the Sevastopol coastal area (Black Sea) during 2007–2008. Methane concentrations in surface waters ranged from 10 to 2,970 nmol l^?1, and correlated well with values recorded for sediments. Methane concentrations in the water column were influenced by water depth, as well as by air and water temperatures. In the spring and summer of 2008, in situ CH₄ saturation relative to air was in the range of 970–71,900%. Maximum saturation was in summer. CH₄ fluxes to the atmosphere from the Sevastopol coastal area were estimated to vary from 190 to 1,550 μmol m^?2 day^?1. Gas bubbles escaping from the seepages contained about 57 vol% methane. Radiocarbon dating of the methane revealed an age not exceeding 150 years, implying a biogenic origin.     

Geochemical and microbiological characteristics of sediments near the Malenky mud volcano (Lake Baikal, Russia), with evidence of Archaea intermediate between the marine anaerobic methanotrophs ANME-2 and ANME-3

Detailed lithological, biogeochemical and molecular biological analyses of core sediments collected in 2002–2006 from the vicinity of the Malenky mud volcano, Lake Baikal, reveal considerable spatial variations in pore water chemical composition, with total concentrations of dissolved salts varying from 0.1 to 1.8‰. Values of methane δ¹³С in the sediments suggest a biogenic origin (δ¹³С_min. ?61.3‰, δ¹³С_max. ?72.9‰). Rates of sulphate reduction varied from 0.001 to 0.7 nmol cm^?3 day^?1, of autotrophic methanogenesis from 0.01 to 2.98 nmol CH₄ cm^?3 day^?1, and of anaerobic oxidation of methane from 0 to 12.3 nmol cm^?3 day^?1. These results indicate that methanogenic processes dominate in gas hydrate-bearing sediments of Lake Baikal. Based on clone libraries of 16S rRNA genes amplified with Bacteria- and Archaea-specific primers, investigation of microbial diversity in gas hydrate-bearing sediments revealed bacterial 16S rRNA clones classified as Deltaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Chloroflexi and OP11. Archaeal clone sequences are related to the Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Baikal sequences of Archaea form a distinct cluster occupying an intermediate position between the marine groups ANME-2 and ANME-3 of anaerobic methanotrophs.     

Microbial processes of carbon cycle as the base of food chain of Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano benthic community

Box and gravity cores recovered from the Håkon Mosby mud volcano (HMMV) during cruise 15 of the R/V Professor Logachev were analyzed for bacterial activity and benthic fauna distribution. The high bacterium number (up to 9.6×10⁹ cells cm^-3 of the sediment) and marked rates of sulfate reduction (up to 0.155?mg?S?dm^-3?day^-1) and methane oxidation (up to 9.9?μg?C?dm^-3?day^-1) were shown for the upper horizons of the sediments of the HMMV peripheral zone. The benthic community is characterized by the presence of two pogonophoran species, Oligobrachia sp. and Sclerolinum sp., harboring symbiotic methanotrophic bacteria.     

Aleksandr Georgievich Rozanov (on his 70th birthday)

Chronicle

Aleksandr Georgievich Rozanov (on his 70th birthday)