METHANE ANOMALIES IN THE NEAR-WATER ATMOSPHERIC LAYER ABOVE THE SHELF OF EAST SIBERIAN ARCTIC SHELF

Abstract

Simultaneous measurements of methane in the nearwater atmospheric layer and in the surface water layer were carried out for the first time in a shallow-water region of the East Siberian shelf. It follows from the data obtained that the regions of anomalously high values of methane concentration in the air (up to 8 ppm) spatially coincide with the patches of anomalously high concentrations of methane dissolved in water (up to 5 · 10 2 nM). The analysis of possible sources allowed us to formulate a hypothesis that the genesis of the distinguished anomalies can may be related to the deep sources of methane anomalies. Deep sources of methane include modern methane and/or ancient methane accumulated in the deposits of natural gas and methane gas hydrates.