Methane emissions from the upwelling area off Mauritania (NW Africa)
Authors:
- A. KockAKA. Kock
- S. GebhardtSGS. Gebhardt
- H. W. BangeHBH. W. Bange
Open Access
- 5 August 2008
- journal article
- Published by Copernicus GmbH in Biogeosciences
- Vol. 5 (4) , 1119-1125
Abstract
Coastal upwelling regions have been identified as sites of enhanced CH4 emissions to the atmosphere. The coastal upwelling area off Mauritania (NW Africa) is one of the most biologically productive regions of the world's ocean but its CH4 emissions have not been quantified so far. More than 1000 measurements of atmospheric and dissolved CH4 in the surface layer in the upwelling area off Mauritania were performed as part of the German SOPRAN (Surface Ocean Processes in the Anthropocene) study during two cruises in March/April 2005 (P320/1) and February 2007 (P348). During P348 enhanced CH4 saturations of up to 200% were found close to the coast and were associated with upwelling of South Atlantic Central Water. An area-weighted, seasonally adjusted estimate yielded overall annual CH4 emissions in the range from 1.6 to 2.9 Gg CH4. Thus the upwelling area off Mauritania represents a regional hot spot of CH4 emissions but seems to be of minor importance for the global oceanic CH4 emissions.Keywords
All Related Versions
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Spatial and temporal patterns of methane dynamics in the tropical mangrove dominated estuary, NE coast of Bay of Bengal, IndiaJournal of Marine Systems, 2007
- Contribution of upwelling filaments to offshore carbon export in the subtropical Northeast Atlantic OceanLimnology and Oceanography, 2007
- Spatial and temporal variation of nitrous oxide and methane flux between subtropical mangrove sediments and the atmosphereSoil Biology and Biochemistry, 2007
- Nitrous oxide and methane in European coastal watersEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2006
- Methane in surface waters of the Arabian SeaGeophysical Research Letters, 1998
- The Aegean Sea as a source of atmospheric nitrous oxide and methaneMarine Chemistry, 1996
- A reevaluation of the open ocean source of methane to the atmosphereJournal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 1996
- Methane in the Baltic and North Seas and a reassessment of the marine emissions of methaneGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 1994
- Methane production during zooplankton grazing on marine phytoplanktonLimnology and Oceanography, 1994
- Methane and hydrogen in seawater (Atlantic Ocean)Deep Sea Research Part A. Oceanographic Research Papers, 1988