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Here we use a portable method to obtain high spatial resolution measurements of concentrations and calculate diffusive water-to-air fluxes of CH 4 and CO 2 from two Subarctic coastal regions (Kasitsna and Jakolof Bays) and an Arctic lake (Toolik Lake). The goals of this study are to determine distributions of these concentrations and fluxes to (1) critically evaluate the established protocols of collecting discrete water samples for these determinations, and to (2) provide a first-order extrapolation of the regional impacts of these diffusive atmospheric fluxes. Our measurements show that these environments are highly heterogeneous. Areas with the highest dissolved CH 4 and CO 2 concentrations were isolated, covering less than 21% of the total lake and bay areas, and significant errors can be introduced if the collection of discrete water samples does not adequately characterize these spatial distributions. A first order extrapolation of diffusive fluxes to all Arctic regions with similar characteristics as Toolik Lake suggests that these lakes are likely supplying 0.21 and 15.77 Tg of CH 4 and CO 2 to the atmosphere annually, respectively. Similarly, we found that the Subarctic Coastal Ocean is likely supplying 0.027 Tg of CH 4 annually and is taking up roughly 524 Tg of CO 2 per year. Although diffusive fluxes at Toolik Lake may not be as substantial when comparing against present seep ebullition and spring ice-out values, warming in the Arctic may result in the increase of methane discharge and methane emissions to the atmosphere. Thus further work is needed to understand this changing environment. This study suggests that high spatial resolution measurement protocols, similar to the one used here, should be incorporated into field campaigns to reduce regional uncertainty and refine global emission estimates.

Here, we quantify the flux of methane to the coastal Arctic and North Pacific Oceans via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), by use of naturally occurring radium isotopes as groundwater tracers, combined with methane concentration measurements of coastal groundwater. Our findings indicate the flux of methane through this process is much greater in the coastal North Pacific (35 6 27 mg m 21 d 21 ) than the Arctic Ocean (4.1 6 0.6 to 11.8 6 3.9 mg m 21 d 21 ). The dominant controls on methane flux through SGD were not methane concentrations in the aquifer but rather the hydrologic characteristics of each site that mitigated or intensified the SGD water volume flux (120 6 50 m 3 m 21 d 21 in the North Pacific compared to 12 6 4m 3 m 21 d 21 in the Arctic). Tidal pumping was observed to be an especially important control on SGD flux at the North Pacific site.

Ancient methane emitted to Arctic Ocean shelf waters is largely prevented from reaching the atmosphere., In response to warming climate, methane can be released to Arctic Ocean sediment and waters from thawing subsea permafrost and decomposing methane hydrates. However, it is unknown whether methane derived from this sediment storehouse of frozen ancient carbon reaches the atmosphere. We quantified the fraction of methane derived from ancient sources in shelf waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea, a region that has both permafrost and methane hydrates and is experiencing significant warming. Although the radiocarbon-methane analyses indicate that ancient carbon is being mobilized and emitted as methane into shelf bottom waters, surprisingly, we find that methane in surface waters is principally derived from modern-aged carbon. We report that at and beyond approximately the 30-m isobath, ancient sources that dominate in deep waters contribute, at most, 10 ± 3% of the surface water methane. These results suggest that even if there is a heightened liberation of ancient carbon–sourced methane as climate change proceeds, oceanic oxidation and dispersion processes can strongly limit its emission to the atmosphere.

Marine hydrocarbon seeps are sources of methane and carbon dioxide to the ocean, and potentially to the atmosphere, though the magnitude of the fluxes and dynamics of these systems are poorly defined. To better constrain these variables in natural environments, we conducted the first high-resolution measurements of sea surface methane and carbon dioxide concentrations in the massive natural seep field near Coal Oil Point (COP), California. The corresponding high resolution fluxes were calculated, and the total dissolved phase air-sea fluxes over the surveyed plume area (∼363 km(2)) were 6.66 × 10(4) to 6.71 × 10(4) mol day(-1) with respect to CH4 and -6.01 × 10(5) to -5.99 × 10(5) mol day(-1) with respect to CO2. The mean and standard deviation of the dissolved phase air-sea fluxes of methane and carbon dioxide from the contour gridding analysis were estimated to be 0.18 ± 0.19 and -1.65 ± 1.23 mmol m(-2) day(-1), respectively. This methane flux is consistent with previous, lower-resolution estimates and was used, in part, to conservatively estimate the total area of the dissolved methane plume at 8400 km(2). The influx of carbon dioxide to the surface water refutes the hypothesis that COP seep methane appreciably influences carbon dioxide dynamics. Seeing that the COP seep field is one of the biggest natural seeps, a logical conclusion could be drawn that microbial oxidation of methane from natural seeps is of insufficient magnitude to change the resulting plume area from a sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide to a source.

[1] Rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, global climate change, and the sustainability of the Earth's biosphere are great societal concerns for the 21st century. Global climate change has, in part, resulted in a higher frequency of flooding events, which allow for greater exchange between soil/plant litter and aquatic carbon pools. Here we demonstrate that the summer 2011 flood in the Mississippi River basin, caused by extreme precipitation events, resulted in a “flushing” of terrestrially derived dissolved organic carbon (TDOC) to the northern Gulf of Mexico. Data from the lower Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers showed that the DOC flux to the northern Gulf of Mexico during this flood was significantly higher than in previous years. We also show that consumption of radiocarbon-modern TDOC by bacteria in floodwaters in the lower Atchafalaya River and along the adjacent shelf contributed to northern Gulf shelf waters changing from a net sink to a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere in June and August 2011. This work shows that enhanced flooding, which may or may not be caused by climate change, can result in rapid losses of stored carbon in soils to the atmosphere via processes in aquatic ecosystems.

To better understand groundwater-surface water dynamics in high latitude areas, we conducted a field study at three sites in Alaska with varying permafrost coverage. The natural groundwater tracer ((222)Rn, radon) was used to evaluate groundwater discharge, and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used to examine subsurface mixing dynamics. Different controls govern groundwater discharge at these sites. In areas with sporadic permafrost (Kasitsna Bay), the major driver of submarine groundwater discharge is tidal pumping, due to the large tidal oscillations, whereas at Point Barrow, a site with continuous permafrost and small tidal amplitudes, fluxes are mostly affected by seasonal permafrost thawing. Extended areas of low resistivity in the subsurface alongshore combined with high radon in surface water suggests that groundwater-surface water interactions might enhance heat transport into deeper permafrost layers promoting permafrost thawing, thereby enhancing groundwater discharge.

Diving into Deep Water The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the largest oil spills on record. Its setting at the bottom of the sea floor posed an unanticipated risk as substantial amounts of hydrocarbons leaked into the deepwater column. Three separate cruises identified and sampled deep underwater hydrocarbon plumes that existed in May and June, 2010—before the well head was ultimately sealed. Camilli et al. (p. 201 ; published online 19 August) used an automated underwater vehicle to assess the dimensions of a stabilized, diffuse underwater plume of oil that was 22 miles long and estimated the daily quantity of oil released from the well, based on the concentration and dimensions of the plume. Hazen et al. (p. 204 ; published online 26 August) also observed an underwater plume at the same depth and found that hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were enriched in the plume and were breaking down some parts of the oil. Finally, Valentine et al. (p. 208 ; published online 16 September) found that natural gas, including propane and ethane, were also present in hydrocarbon plumes. These gases were broken down quickly by bacteria, but primed the system for biodegradation of larger hydrocarbons, including those comprising the leaking crude oil. Differences were observed in dissolved oxygen levels in the plumes (a proxy for bacterial respiration), which may reflect differences in the location of sampling or the aging of the plumes.