Biogeochemical characteristics of shallow methane seeps of Crimean coastal areas in comparison with deep-sea seeps of the Black Sea

Methane gas bubble emissions (seeps) are widespread phenomenon in the World Ocean, inter alia in Black Sea basin. The relevance of the research of methane seeps is due to their important role as a source of methane – greenhouse and environment-forming gas – for water column and atmosphere. The article presents a comparative analysis of the data from our biogeochemical 10-year studies of shallow gas seeps of the Crimean Peninsula and data on deep-sea gas seeps of the Black Sea. During 10-year period, apart from carrying out hydroacoustic research, the following parameters were determined: bubble gas component composition, methane carbon isotopic composition, microbial community structure of bacterial mats, covering gas bubble emission sites, and gas fluxes from separate seeps. During long-term monitoring, 14 separate gas bubble emission sites were detected and described in Crimean coastal areas; they were located from Cape Tarkhankut in the west of the peninsula to the Dvuyakornaya Bay in the southeast. Crimean coastal seeps were mostly of biogenic origin, with a seasonal type of gas bubble emission. Laspi Bay seeps were classified as emissions of deep gas of thermocatalytic genesis. A significant variation was recorded in values of isotopic composition of methane carbon δ13C-CH4 of bubble gas in coastal shallow areas (−94…−34 ‰), which indicates different conditions for bubble gas generation and maturation in seabed sediments. Similar to deep-sea seeps, coastal gas bubble emissions were accompanied by bacterial mats of diverse structure, with different dominating species. As shown, formation of stable bacterial biomass, usually consisting of sulfide- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, requires a fluid flux of reduced dissolved gases, while pointwise bubble gas discharge does not provide sufficient concentration gradients and can mechanically disrupt community structure. Various methods were used to estimate the size spectra of bubbles, as well as fluxes from separate seeps. Gas flux values varied from 1.8 L·day−1 (the Martynova Bay) to 40 L·day−1 (the Laspi Bay). The environment-forming effects, related to gas bubble emission in coastal areas, are discussed: effect of seeps on oxygen conditions in seabed sediments and in water column above gas emission sites, vertical water mixing due to gas lift effect, and fluid discharge at gas emission sites.