Methane in Izena Cauldron,Okinawa Trough |
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Authors: | Shuichi Watanabe Nobuo Tsurushima Masashi Kusakabe Shizuo Tsunogai |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 041 Hakodate, Japan;(2) Laboratory of Marine and Atmospheric Geochemistr, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, 060 Sapporo, Japan;(3) Division of Deep Sea Research, Japan Marine Science and Technology Center, Natsushima-cho 2-15, 237 Yokosuka, Japan |
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Abstract: | Methane in the deep water of Izena Cauldron (maximum depth: ca. 1650 m) at the east side of mid-Okinawa Trough was studied by casting a CTD system with 12 Niskin bottles for water sampling at 11 stations inside and outside the cauldron. The water contained much methane up to 706 nmoles/l. The depths of maximum concentration varied widely from station to station, indicating the existence of a considerable number of vents emitting methane and heat. The waters containing less methane formed a straight line in theT-S diagram, while those containing more methane were more largely deviated from the line. The temperature anomaly was virtually proportional to the methane concentration, suggesting that the oxidation rate of methane inside the cauldron is negligibly small and methane can be used as a tracer of the cauldron water. The relation and the estimated vertical diffusivity gave the following fluxes. The emissions of methane and heat out of the bottom below 1450 m turn out to be 1400 moles/day and 7×1010 cal/day, respectively. The total emission rates inside the cauldron are presumed to be about twice the above values. The turnover time of methane has been estimated to be 240 days, which is also that of heat generated from the bottom and probably that of the bottom water. |
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