Methane seeps in the Black Sea: discovery, quantification and environmental assessment

Abstract

Abstract This review describes methodology and software developments for acoustic data acquisition and determining parameters of gas bubble streams; shows geographical distribution of more than 3000 seeps in the Black Sea; presents data on methane fluxes from the deep-sea mud volcanoes; gives a model for evaluation of gas exchange in the water environment and methane emission from gas seeps to water column and atmosphere; explains modern views on the impact of cold seeps on the hydrochemical characteristics of the marine environment, the vertical water exchange, methanotrophic chemosynthesis and trophic structure of water; reveals a new form of life in the anoxic water column of the Black Sea, which is represented by a symbiotic community of anaerobic archaea and methane oxidizing and sulfate-reducing bacteria; contains estimates of potential environmental hazards due to methane discharge from the bottom of the Black Sea, and outlooks the possible use of cold seeps as a resource factors because they can be indications for shallow or deep hydrocarbon accumulations.

Keywords

• Key words: Black Sea, gas seeps, methane emission

References

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