Annual variation of methane in seawater in Funka bay,Japan

The concentration of methane in seawater was determined approximately once a month for one year from August 1990 to July 1991 at a station close to the center of Funka bay (92 m depth) and some supplementary observations were also carried out. The concentration of methane was usually increased with increasing depth, suggesting that methane was emitted from the bottom of the bay. While highly variable both spatially and temporally, the emission was intense in March and April, a period immediately after the spring bloom of phytoplankton. The maximum of methane found in the intermediate water suggests its source from the slope of the bay. The concentration of methane in the surface water changed seasonally and also interannually. The annually averaged flux of methane transferred to the atmosphere in the bay was estimated to be 6×10^–3 gCH₄m²/day. The coastal zone in the world may be a significant source of the atmospheric methane, although its source strength has yet to be accurately estimated from more data in different coastal seas.