The Lifetime of Methane Bubbles Through Sediment and Water Column

About this Research Topic

Background

Gassy aquatic sediments are abundant worldwide. They are a source of major concern due to their contribution to the destabilization of coastal and aquatic infrastructure and global warming. The presence of bubbles and processes accompanying their migration affect structural integrity, load-bearing capabilities, and effective properties of sediments.

Methane is one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Its concentration has been rising by 1% per year over the last century. Methane emission from aquatic systems to the water column and potentially to the atmosphere, often dominates by ebullition. Rising bubbles exchange gas with the surrounding water. Intensive bubble streams in the water column induce upwelling flows, turbulent mixing, upward flux of nutrients and surface-active materials, and lift sediment particles and bacteria.

However, there is still a major uncertainty in fundamental questions regarding bubble presence in shallow and deep aquatic sediments, such as: How much gas resides there? What is the bubble dynamics? How does the amount of gas change under different ambient conditions? What are methane bubbles’ contribution to the global carbon cycle and to sediment destabilization?

This Research Topic aims to cover novel research results, developments, and methods, related to methane bubbles, their presence in aquatic sediments and in water column, as well as their temporal dynamics and spatial variability.

Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Regional studies on gassy sediments and gas release in oceans and inland waters;
• Bubble dynamics in sediments and their controlling processes: field observations, modeling and lab experiments;
• Effective media models of gassy sediments and their applications;
• Direct and remote sensing methods of gassy sediments and gas release characterization;
• Bubble pathways and emanation in sediments at cold seeps, pockmarks, mud volcanoes;
• Bubble dynamics in the water column, fate and gas composition;
• Contribution of ebullition fluxes to methane emissions to the atmosphere.

Original Research articles, Methods and Review papers are welcomed.

Keywords: bubbles, methane, gassy sediment, global warming, sediment destabilization

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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