Investigation of methane fluxes in ocean margin sediments
Gas seeps and seafloor structures are part of benthic faunal and microbial communities. They depend on methane and hydrogen sulfide fluxes, whose regulation is controlled by the sub-seafloor methane barrier. Understanding these ecosystems allows development of efficient and effective protection measures in line with the ever increasingly stricter environmental recommendations. The METROL project focused on a multidisciplinary study of the methane production and retention in the sea floor, linking geophysics, geochemistry and microbiology. One of the key project results is the accumulation of relevant data from public and confidential sources with the aid of Geographic information system (GIS). Emphasis was put on in the marine environments primarily of the North Sea and the Western Baltic Seas and secondly of the Black Sea. In order to provide better visibility, data were integrated into the internet map service (IMS) allowing interactive exploration of maps. The high resolution digital data from microbathymetrical maps displaying seafloor features are available in 3D-format. They offer the user with increased capabilities of an area-wide inspection and analysis of features in relation to their depth. Potential users are geologists, geophysicists, biogeochemists, environmental monitoring organisations and authorities, as well as the general public. Visualising 3D data is expected to provide a detailed understanding of methane distribution and raise new research questions. For further information click at: http://www.metrol.org/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)
