Evaluating Active Methane Hydrate Dissociation Along the Washington Margin in Response to Bottom Water Warming

Abstract:

Water column temperature data acquired on the upper continental slope (UCS) of the Washington (WA) section of the Cascadia margin shows gradual warming of bottom water at the upper limit of the methane hydrate stability zone (MHSZ) over the last 4 decades. Thermal models based on these records predict downslope retreat of the MHSZ by ~1-2 km (~40 m in depth), potentially destabilizing methane hydrate and releasing CH₄into the sediment and water column.

To test for contemporaneous methane hydrate dissociation along the UCS of the WA margin, we conducted a comprehensive geophysical and geochemical survey of active seep sites at the upper limit of the MHSZ from 48° to 46°N on the R/V Thompson in October 2014. We identified 9 active seep sites within this corridor and imaged 22 bubble plumes that commonly rise to ~300 m water depth with some reaching to near the sea surface. Some seep sites appear to be controlled by local margin structure, mainly extensional faults and ridges. We collected 22 gravity cores and 20 CTD/hydrocasts from the 9 seeps and processed ~350 sediment samples for pore water chemistry. Hydrocarbons heavier than CH₄were not detected in bottom water samples, suggesting any gas hydrate present is Structure I. Preliminary pore water data show decreasing salinity downcore at each site with measured values as low as 10 psu and the sulfate-methane transition zone occurs between 50-80 cm below the sea floor. Pore water solute, noble gas, and isotope ratio data indicate freshening from at least one site is not the result of hydrate dissociation, but rather is due to clay dehydration at depths where temperatures exceed 60°C.

Very few of the sites show pore water profiles that are in steady state, suggesting a dynamic biogeochemical system at the UCS along the entire WA margin. Further analyses and modeling are underway to constrain the nature and timing of these transient profiles and whether they are the result of recent methane hydrate dissociation.