Premium
Methane in the northern Atlantic controlled by microbial oxidation and atmospheric history
Author(s) -
Rehder Gregor,
Keir Robin S.,
Suess Erwin,
Rhein Monika
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1999gl900049
Subject(s) - methane , advection , atmospheric methane , mixing ratio , water column , mixing (physics) , environmental science , oceanography , atmosphere (unit) , atmospheric sciences , climatology , geology , greenhouse gas , chemistry , meteorology , geography , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
During May ‐ August, 1997, the distributions of dissolved methane and CCl 3 F (CFC11) were measured in the Atlantic between 50° and 60°N. In surface waters throughout the region, methane was observed to be close to equilibrium with the atmospheric mixing ratio, implying that surface ocean methane is tracking its atmospheric history in regions of North Atlantic Deep Water formation. Despite the different atmospheric history and ocean chemistry of CH 4 and CFC11, their spatial distribution patterns in the water column are remarkably similar. One‐dimensional distributions have been simulated with an advection‐diffusion model forced by the atmospheric histories. The results suggest that the similar patterns result from the increasing input of CH 4 and CFC11 to newly formed deep waters over time, combined with the effect of horizontal mixing and the oxidation of methane on a 50 year time scale.