Methane supersaturation and ATP-zooplankton blooms in near-surface waters of the Western Mediterranean and the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

The concentrations of methane and 333 to 1800-μm ATP-biomass were determined at 15 stations along a transect from Gibraltar to Africa to Puerto Rico. Near-surface waters at one station in the Western Mediterranean and at one station off the coast of North Africa were highly supersaturated with methane. High concentrations of zooplankton encountered at the same locations offer biological evidence that the production of excess methane in the water column may be associated with the pelagic food chain. A possible cause may be the presence of methane bacteria in the digestive tracts of the herbivorous zooplankton.