Methane is a strong climate-active gas, the concentration of which is rapidly increasing in the atmosphere. Vast methane reservoirs are hosted in seafloor sediments, both dissolved in pore fluids and trapped in gas hydrate. Cold seeps discharge significant amounts of this methane into the ocean. The rate of seabed methane discharge could be orders of magnitude higher than current estimates, creating considerable uncertainty. The extent of methane transfer from the seafloor to the water column and ultimately to the atmosphere is also uncertain.
The seepage of methane and other hydrocarbons drives complex biogeochemical processes in marine sediments and the overlying water column. Seeps support chemosynthesis-based communities and impact the chemistry of the water column. Seeps may also play a critical role in ocean acidification and deoxygenation and can be geohazards, as well as a potential energy resource. Unraveling the complex and dynamic interactions and processes at marine seeps is crucial for our understanding of element cycling in the geo- and hydrosphere.
Despite continued research, numerous unresolved questions challenge our understanding of the biogeochemical dynamics at seeps. Some open questions are:
- What factors control the fate of methane in sediments, gas hydrates, and the water column?
- How are methane oxidation rates balanced between different reservoirs and the water column?
- What are the best suited geochemical proxies to reconstruct the evolution of seepage over time?
Innovative approaches and new analytical tools are needed to answer these questions and expand our understanding of the biogeochemical processes at marine cold seeps.
This Research Topic aims to integrate multi- and interdisciplinary contributions investigating the chemical and biogeochemical pathways active at modern seeps or preserved in the fossil record. We welcome contributions covering, but not limited to geology, biology, microbiology, paleontology, oceanography, and numerical modeling.
Methane is a strong climate-active gas, the concentration of which is rapidly increasing in the atmosphere. Vast methane reservoirs are hosted in seafloor sediments, both dissolved in pore fluids and trapped in gas hydrate. Cold seeps discharge significant amounts of this methane into the ocean. The rate of seabed methane discharge could be orders of magnitude higher than current estimates, creating considerable uncertainty. The extent of methane transfer from the seafloor to the water column and ultimately to the atmosphere is also uncertain.
The seepage of methane and other hydrocarbons drives complex biogeochemical processes in marine sediments and the overlying water column. Seeps support chemosynthesis-based communities and impact the chemistry of the water column. Seeps may also play a critical role in ocean acidification and deoxygenation and can be geohazards, as well as a potential energy resource. Unraveling the complex and dynamic interactions and processes at marine seeps is crucial for our understanding of element cycling in the geo- and hydrosphere.
Despite continued research, numerous unresolved questions challenge our understanding of the biogeochemical dynamics at seeps. Some open questions are:
- What factors control the fate of methane in sediments, gas hydrates, and the water column?
- How are methane oxidation rates balanced between different reservoirs and the water column?
- What are the best suited geochemical proxies to reconstruct the evolution of seepage over time?
Innovative approaches and new analytical tools are needed to answer these questions and expand our understanding of the biogeochemical processes at marine cold seeps.
This Research Topic aims to integrate multi- and interdisciplinary contributions investigating the chemical and biogeochemical pathways active at modern seeps or preserved in the fossil record. We welcome contributions covering, but not limited to geology, biology, microbiology, paleontology, oceanography, and numerical modeling.
