The great Siberian rivers as a source of methane on the Russian Arctic shelf

Abstract

The methane marine cycle in the Arctic region has not received due attention thus far, since the role of the Arctic Ocean in the global methane cycle was widely held to be insignificant by the scientific community. At the same time, some authors have clearly shown that this role seems to have been substantially underestimated [1‐3]. The Arctic Ocean represents not only a giant petroliferous superbasin enclosing huge reserves of natural hydrocarbons, but also an estuary of the world’s largest rivers, the drainage systems of which are underlain by thick layers of permafrost hosting enormous reserves of organic carbon. Degradation of permafrost and involvement of old organic carbon into the present-day biochemical cycle determine, to a large measure, the role of Arctic marine ecosystems and others in both the regional and global methane cycles. In this connection, study of the role of great Siberian rivers as methane sources on the Russian Arctic shelf is especially topical.