Hudson submarine canyon head offshore New York and New Jersey: A physical and geochemical investigation

Rona, Peter A.; Guida, Vincent G.; Scranton, Mary I.; Gong, Donglai; Macelloni, Leonardo; Pierdomenico, Martina; Diercks, Arne R.; Asper, Vernon; Haag, Scott

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.07.019

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Until recently, the eastern U.S. Atlantic margin had not been considered an area of widespread seepage; however, recent multibeam surveys provide evidence of active gas plumes along the margin (Skarke et al, ). A gas seep field inside Hudson Canyon lies near the boundary of clathrate hydrate stability, and elevated dissolved CH 4 concentrations for depths greater than 250 m have been reported (Rona et al, ; Weinstein et al, ). Also, rates of CH 4 oxidation have been measured to be rapid, suggesting that the emitted CH 4 is largely converted to CO 2 (Leonte et al, ; Weinstein et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Inset map shows canyon bathymetry. The top of the canyon walls is at a depth of ~125 m (Rona et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to CH 4 ‐derived carbon, Hudson Canyon receives riverine and terrestrial carbon inputs as the Hudson River connects to Hudson Canyon through the Hudson Shelf Valley. The head of Hudson Canyon is highly productive and recognized as a commercial fishing hot spot (Rona et al, ) suggesting that nutrients and terrestrial OC from the Hudson River are fueling productivity. While very little published research exists on the chemistry of Hudson Canyon, a wider range of studies exist in the Mid‐Atlantic Bight.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we assess the influence of aerobic methane oxidation on dissolved CO 2 and pH of seawater on the northern U.S. Atlantic Margin. Hudson Canyon on the northern Atlantic Margin was chosen as the area of study, because, in addition to having active CH 4 seepage at the upper edge of the clathrate hydrate stability, restricted water circulation and canyon walls at around 125‐m depth allows the emitted CH 4 to accumulate to higher concentrations (Rona et al, ; Skarke et al, ; Weinstein et al, ). Furthermore, Hudson Canyon is connected to the Hudson River through the Hudson Shelf Valley allowing the transport of terrestrial organic carbon to the canyon (Chen et al, ; Rona et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hudson Canyon on the northern Atlantic Margin was chosen as the area of study, because, in addition to having active CH 4 seepage at the upper edge of the clathrate hydrate stability, restricted water circulation and canyon walls at around 125‐m depth allows the emitted CH 4 to accumulate to higher concentrations (Rona et al, ; Skarke et al, ; Weinstein et al, ). Furthermore, Hudson Canyon is connected to the Hudson River through the Hudson Shelf Valley allowing the transport of terrestrial organic carbon to the canyon (Chen et al, ; Rona et al, ). Here we use natural radiocarbon measurements to fingerprint the sources of carbon being incorporated into the CO 2 pool and determine the relative contributions of CH 4 oxidation and organic carbon (OC) remineralization to the observed changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Limited Acute Influence of Aerobic Methane Oxidation on Ocean Carbon Dioxide and pH in Hudson Canyon, Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin

Garcia‐Tigreros

Kessler

2018

JGR Biogeosciences

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The ocean continental shelves host the largest global reservoir of methane (CH 4 ). Despite the great extent of these CH 4 reservoirs, much of the CH 4 released into deep ocean environments appear to dissolve in seawater prior to atmospheric emission. Once dissolved in ocean water, the CH 4 emitted can be aerobically oxidized and converted into either carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) or biomass. While hypotheses have been levied suggesting that the CO 2 produced from aerobic methane oxidation could enhance ocean acidification, no empirical research has been performed to confirm or refute this hypothesis. The work presented here investigates local changes in seawater-dissolved CO 2 and pH in a region that is experiencing active CH 4 seepage near the upper stability boundary of methane clathrate hydrates. We show that in an area of elevated CH 4 concentrations and aerobic oxidation rates, Hudson Canyon, aerobic CH 4 oxidation is only responsible for 0.3 ± 0.2% of the observed change in dissolved inorganic carbon. Measurements further show that the remineralization of both old marine and young terrestrial organic carbon is contributing more substantially to the observed changes. While this investigation did not investigate chronic, multiyear changes in ocean acidification due to CH 4 oxidation, these results suggest that over short timescales, CH 4 oxidation in seep fields does not have an acute influence on seawater pH.Since the industrial era, ocean pH has decreased by 0.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Inset map shows canyon bathymetry. The top of the canyon walls is at a depth of ~125 m (Rona et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Limited Acute Influence of Aerobic Methane Oxidation on Ocean Carbon Dioxide and pH in Hudson Canyon, Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin

Garcia‐Tigreros

Kessler

2018

JGR Biogeosciences

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Determining the flux of methane into Hudson Canyon at the edge of methane clathrate hydrate stability

Weinstein

Navarrete

Ruppel

et al. 2016

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Methane seeps were investigated in Hudson Canyon, the largest shelf-break canyon on the northern U.S. Atlantic Margin. The seeps investigated are located at or updip of the nominal limit of methane clathrate hydrate stability. The acoustic identification of bubble streams was used to guide water column sampling in a 32 km 2 region within the canyon's thalweg. By incorporating measurements of dissolved methane concentration with methane oxidation rates and current velocity into a steady state box model, the total emission of methane to the water column in this region was estimated to be 12 kmol methane per day (range: 6-24 kmol methane per day). These analyses suggest that the emitted methane is largely retained inside the canyon walls below 300 m water depth, and that it is aerobically oxidized to near completion within the larger extent of Hudson Canyon. Based on estimated methane emissions and measured oxidation rates, the oxidation of this methane to dissolved CO 2 is expected to have minimal influences on seawater pH.

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The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates

Ruppel

Kessler

2017

Reviews of Geophysics

650

554

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Gas hydrate, a frozen, naturally‐occurring, and highly‐concentrated form of methane, sequesters significant carbon in the global system and is stable only over a range of low‐temperature and moderate‐pressure conditions. Gas hydrate is widespread in the sediments of marine continental margins and permafrost areas, locations where ocean and atmospheric warming may perturb the hydrate stability field and lead to release of the sequestered methane into the overlying sediments and soils. Methane and methane‐derived carbon that escape from sediments and soils and reach the atmosphere could exacerbate greenhouse warming. The synergy between warming climate and gas hydrate dissociation feeds a popular perception that global warming could drive catastrophic methane releases from the contemporary gas hydrate reservoir. Appropriate evaluation of the two sides of the climate‐methane hydrate synergy requires assessing direct and indirect observational data related to gas hydrate dissociation phenomena and numerical models that track the interaction of gas hydrates/methane with the ocean and/or atmosphere. Methane hydrate is likely undergoing dissociation now on global upper continental slopes and on continental shelves that ring the Arctic Ocean. Many factors—the depth of the gas hydrates in sediments, strong sediment and water column sinks, and the inability of bubbles emitted at the seafloor to deliver methane to the sea‐air interface in most cases—mitigate the impact of gas hydrate dissociation on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations though. There is no conclusive proof that hydrate‐derived methane is reaching the atmosphere now, but more observational data and improved numerical models will better characterize the climate‐hydrate synergy in the future.

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Hudson submarine canyon head offshore New York and New Jersey: A physical and geochemical investigation

Cited by 14 publications

References 33 publications

Limited Acute Influence of Aerobic Methane Oxidation on Ocean Carbon Dioxide and pH in Hudson Canyon, Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin

Limited Acute Influence of Aerobic Methane Oxidation on Ocean Carbon Dioxide and pH in Hudson Canyon, Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin

Determining the flux of methane into Hudson Canyon at the edge of methane clathrate hydrate stability

The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates

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