Methane Distribution Research Articles

Geochemical and microbial controls on methane distribution in coastal sediments: A case study from the Bohai and South Yellow Seas, China.

CH4 is among the most potent greenhouse gases. In this study, we investigated one of the important CH4 production hotspots, the continental margins. We examined the spatiotemporal distributions of CH4 in sediment cores from the Bohai and South Yellow Seas, China. Using real-time PCR and metagenomic sequencing, we analyzed the microbial communities related to CH4 production. Our results indicated that concentrations of CH4 generally increased with depth gradually, minimal seasonal variation observed between spring and summer. Notably, spatial heterogeneity, rather than temporal variation, was the predominant factor affecting CH4 distribution and methanogen community differences in sediments. Furthermore, the structure of microbial communities, in conjunction with environmental factors, significantly impacts potential CH4 production. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying methane production and its environmental controls in marine sediments.

Molecular dynamics simulation on the density distribution and multilayer adsorption of methane in nanopores

The adsorption behavior of methane (CH4) in nanopores affects its spatial density distribution, which is essential for the shale gas extraction. While the average density of CH4 in nanopores has been commonly utilized in practice, the density distribution and the mechanisms of multilayer adsorption remain unclear. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to investigate the formation of adsorption layers in nanopores. The effects of pressure, pressure gradient, pore width, and temperature on adsorption were examined. As CH4 pressure increases from 1 to 80 MPa, the adsorption layer transitions from one layer to three, resulting in multilayer adsorption. Although the increased pressure enhances the interactions between CH4 molecules, the force exerted by the pore walls on the CH4 molecules remains unchanged. When the repulsive force from the preceding adsorption layer exceeds the attractive force from the pore walls, a minimum methane density is reached, leading to the formation of a new adsorption layer. Following the application of the methane pressure gradient, it was observed that the carbon (C) atoms are displaced from their adsorption sites to regions of higher potential energy, reducing the peak density value. Additionally, the pore width has a minimal effect on the density distribution, as it does not alter the force exerted on the C atoms. Furthermore, temperature can increase the thermal motion of CH4 molecules, resulting in a more uniform spatial density distribution. Finally, a model was proposed to predict the spatial density distribution of CH4 in nanopores, accounting for multilayer adsorption.

Methane in the Water Column of the Gdansk Deep (Baltic Sea): Seasonal and Vertical Variability

The study of the vertical distribution of methane dissolved in water and related parameters (water temperature and salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration) was carried out in 2021–2023 at the offshore carbon supersite Rosyanka in the Gdansk Deep of the Baltic Sea. Measurements with such frequency (a total of 16 surveys) were carried out in the region for the first time. Methane concentrations varied over a fairly wide range (0.000–1.122 μmol/L), and increased with depth, which is a typical distribution for the Baltic Sea and is associated with the vertical stratification of the water column. Single maximum values were characteristic of the layer extending from the bottom to the upper boundary of the halocline, which indicates the flow of methane from bottom sediments into the water column. In the near-surface layer (5–15 m), a weakly pronounced peak in methane concentrations was observed, which is a manifestation of the “oceanic methane paradox”. No pronounced seasonality was detected in the vertical distribution of dissolved methane; the correlation between temperature, salinity, oxygen, and methane content turned out to be low.

Microscopic study on the memory effect of methane hydrate in the presence of silica nanoparticles: Ⅰ. Dissociation mechanism & guest supersaturated hypothesis

As a key issue emerged in the exploitation of combustible ice resources, the memory effect inducing hydrate reformation in sand-containing dissociated-water system is still ambiguous. Among them, methane hydrate dissociation kinetics and guest supersaturated hypothesis for methane hydrate reformation are the primary issues to be addressed. A molecular dynamics simulation system where methane hydrate interacts with surface-hydroxylated silica nanoparticles was established to simulate dissociation process, which is necessary to construct hydrate reformation systems for further microscopic study on hydrate memory effect. The transportation mechanism of methane during hydrate dissociation in sand-containing aqueous system was elucidated. Based on this, hydrate-dissociated systems with methane supersaturated were captured, and molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to further study hydrate reformation mechanism regarding the guest supersaturated hypothesis. By analyzing the distribution and transportation of methane, hydrate clusters, and silica nanoparticles, it can be concluded that the hydrate-like orderly arrangement of methane that are dissolved in the solution or on the surface of nanobubbles are necessary to trigger hydrate memory effect by inducing the reformation of hydrate clusters, while the silica nanoparticles can inhibit the reformation of hydrate clusters by disturbing the arrangement of methane molecules and water molecules. Thence, the microscopic analysis indicated that supersaturated guest molecules is vital to the occurrence of hydrate memory effect and its effect varies between the supersaturated states.

Methane distribution above the Emperor Seamount chain

Dissolved methane (CH4) concentrations were measured in the water column at 25 stations along the four sections above Koko and Jingu guyots (the southern part of Emperor Seamount chain). The measured methane concentrations were relatively low (1–6.5 nM). The patterns of CH4 vertical distributions over Koko and Jingu were different. The greatest dissolved methane concentrations (6.5 nM) were found in the near-bottom layer (357 m) above the Koko summit. For Koko guyot, the greatest CH4 content (3.9–6.5 nM) was mainly associated with the subsurface (10–300 m) layer above the summit. However, another methane plume (6 nM) was detected at 1000 m on the western slope of the guyot. We propose that methane maximum was caused by the influence of the Kuroshio Extension or deep eddies. The CH4 distribution over Jingu gyuot was similar to that in open ocean waters. The greatest methane concentrations (3.8–6 nM) were found in the subsurface layers above the summit. Methane exceeded atmospheric equilibrium concentration in the surface (5–52 % supersaturation) layer for both Koko and Jingu. The methane content and supersaturation level in the subsurface layer was at least two times higher than previously measured values for the open ocean. We believe that the high methane and supersaturation level was caused by enhanced methanogenesis in the water column above the seamounts. The estimated methane flux to the atmosphere varied from 1.4 to 16.3 μmol m−2 day−1 for Koko and from 0.5 to 6.5 μmol m−2 day−1 for Jingu, respectively. The average fluxes calculated for Koko (8.37 μmol m−2 day−1) and Jingu (2.8 μmol m−2 day−1) were significantly greater than the average flux for open and coastal oceans. Given the substantial methane atmospheric contributions, the global methane budget should be reconsidered.

Analytical simulation of the simultaneous adsorption process of methane and water vapor in shales

ABSTRACT Investigations on the diffusion – adsorption of methane and water vapour in shale nanopores are essential for developing shale gas extraction. A kinetic model considering diffusion and different adsorption mechanisms was proposed. An analytical solution to the model was obtained through the integral transformation method and used to predict the distributions of methane and water within a shale particle. The results suggest that the reversible adsorption caused by the dispersion force is not the only adsorption mechanism; irreversible adsorption caused by hydrogen bonding or other types of intermolecular forces is more prominent, lengthening the delay to reach equilibrium. The presence of water strongly affects shale, considerably decreasing the diffusivity and adsorption capacity as well as the swelling of the shale matrix caused by the increase in the methane pressure. The diffusion and adsorption process expands to the shale particle surface after the pores near the particle centre are filled. The transport and storage of water vapour are more sensitive to the pore structure than those of methane. In the initial stage of the methane diffusion‒adsorption process, a large number of water molecules enter the particles, and the adsorbed water hinders methane molecules from contacting the shale surface.

Mineral effects on methane hydrate formation and distribution in sand sediments

Methane hydrate is a promising energy resource widely occurring in the world, but the formation and distribution of methane hydrate in marine sediments with complex minerals remains unclear. Due to the small pore space and fine-grained size of clay minerals, the contact relationship between methane hydrate and clay mineral surface under excess water has not been characterized fully, which is required to investigate the mineral effect on methane hydrate formation. In this study, cryo-SEM was applied to observe the distribution of methane hydrate synthesized in pure quartz sands and the quartz sands mixed with montmorillonite or illite separately. According to the results of the research, methane hydrate dispersedly forms in the pore space away from and on the surface of quartz under a local excess water condition. In addition, methane hydrate occurs away from montmorillonite in pores with excess water and contacts the edge of montmorillonite under a local excess-gas condition. Moreover, methane hydrate was only observed to form away from illite aggregates in the pore with residual water. Montmorillonite and illite influence the preferable distribution of methane hydrate to occur away from mineral surface in excess water condition. In the sediments composed of different minerals, methane hydrate forms stochastically in the pore space and grows up individually. As a result, the findings of this study significantly expand the understanding of the formation and distribution of methane hydrate in marine sediments and the prediction of physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments, and provide insights into natural gas hydrate exploration and production.

Томографический измеритель концентрации метана на приземных трассах

Using a prototype of a remote lidar created in the laboratory for measuring methane concentration, a study of the distribution of methane along a route ~ 2.25 km long was carried out in order to localize gas emissions and control leaks in unfavorable areas. The lidar prototype, operating at a wavelength of 1653 nm, included a powerful Raman amplifier and made it possible to measure the distance to the reflection point with an accuracy of no worse than 50 meters. The lidar scanned the track, starting from short distances and ending with measurements along the entire measured track. The route included a near zone with modern multi-storey buildings without gas infrastructure, a middle zone with multi-storey buildings and gas infrastructure, as well as an extended forest area ending with a busy highway with heavy traffic. That is, it was possible to assess the contribution of each zone to the background methane concentration along the route. Observations were carried out during the winter-spring period and were carried out at different times of the day under weather conditions that were recorded. Processing of the results showed a significantly different contribution of each zone to the average concentration on the route. The contribution of the middle zone with multi-storey buildings equipped with gas infrastructure turned out to be especially large, which suggests a possible gas leak from the gas distribution system in this area. On average, the background concentration of methane on this route repeated the value measured in 2023 during the same seasonal period in 2023.

Numerical Simulation of Methane Distribution at the Longwall Working with Various Stages of Shearer Advance

Numerical Simulation of Methane Distribution at the Longwall Working with Various Stages of Shearer Advance

Optimizing Methane Control in Composite Goaf Areas: Insights from Multisource Emission Analysis and Numerical Modeling in the Tongxin Coal Mine.

Coal mine methane poses a threat to both coal production and the well-being of workers. This study investigates the complex challenge of managing methane emissions from multiple sources in coal mines prone to gas. Coal mining creates multiple air leakage channels in the mine goaf, increasing the risk of gas explosions. Tracer SF6 measurements were employed to identify multiple air leakage channels. A comprehensive numerical model, incorporating multiple air leakage channels, was developed to simulate methane distribution in the goaf and upper corner. By adjusting the combination of gas drainage rate (U) and working face ventilation flux (Q), the concentration of methane at the upper corner is expected to be decrease, ensuring safe production at the Tongxin mine. A total of 48 simulation cases were conducted, determining that U = 1080 m3/min and Q = 2250 m3/min are recommended for the 8201 working face in the Tongxin coal mine. This combination provides not only an effective solution but also a cost-efficient one for methane control. The findings offer a new insight into effective methane control providing a foundation for improving mine safety.

Formation of Methane Hazards During Underground Coal Production in the Longwall Area Ventilated by System Y

Abstract The article addresses a critical and timely issue: improving safety in underground coal mining. The primary objective of the paper was to develop a research methodology based on modelling studies to identify and assess the state of methane hazards during mining operations. To achieve this, structural modelling of the physical and chemical phenomena occurring in mining regions was conducted using Computational Fluid Dynamics. The core research was performed using the finite volume method on a real longwall exploitation site ventilated by a Y-system. This approach enabled the determination of methane and oxygen concentration distributions in the mining region and goafs, treated as a porous and permeable medium. Based on these findings, potential fire and/or methane explosion hazard zones were identified in the goaf. The model test results underwent a validation process, comparing them with actual measurements. The determined errors were within an acceptable range, confirming the accuracy of the developed model of the mining region and the phenomena within it. Furthermore, the model was used to predict the locations of zones at risk of fire and/or methane explosion in the goafs, particularly in areas with potentially increased gas emissions. The results clearly demonstrate the significant potential of using model studies to diagnose and forecast methane hazards in underground mining operations. Identifying these potential danger zones allows for the implementation of preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of dangerous incidents.

Distribution of methane in the upper water layer of the northern Black Sea: Seasonal and daily trends and seawater-air emissions

We report on methane (CH4) concentration measurements in the northern Black Sea area conducted during 6 cruises with R/V Professor Vodyanitsky from 2017 to 2019. Our work is a multi-season study at a uniform station grid covering an area of 88 × 103 km2 and including three latitudinal transects that comprises both surface and vertical profile water-column measurements. The main goal of the work was to assess the seasonal patterns of vertical CH4 structure in the aerobic water column (upper 100 m) and its emission to the atmosphere.In surface waters, the mean dissolved CH4 concentration ranged from 2.6 nmol L−1 detected in November 2018 to 11.5 nmol L−1 measured in June–July 2018, respectively. Calculated CH4 seawater-air fluxes and saturations were mostly positive (i.e. net flux to atmosphere), and winter fluxes (2.6 μmol m−2 d−1) were higher than summer fluxes (1.6 μmol m−2 d−1) due to the higher wind speed. The integral CH4 flux from the whole study area (88 × 103 km2) ranged from 84 to 235 kM day−1.It was shown that, on average, the methane concentration in the upper layer for deep-water stations where the seabed is located at depths >160 m (σt >16.2) was lower compared to stations at shallow water depths (28–140 m, σt <16.2). The most distinct difference was obtained for the summer season (June–July 2018) and a less significant difference – for spring (April–May 2019) and winter season (November–December 2018). During these seasons the water column was also considerably less saturated in CH4 compared to the entire monitoring period. We observed subsurface maxima, which were generally located at the base of the thermocline and exceeded 100 nmol L−1 at some stations. Exceptions were observed in October 2019 (cruise 110), when vertical CH4 distributions were characterized by two-peaks at ∼20 and ∼50 m depth. The strong influence of the thermohaline structure on the water column CH4 distribution has also been shown in studies of daily dynamics of CH4 vertical profiles in the shallow water region. Despite the high variability of CH4 concentrations, significant similarities in vertical distributions of CH4 and chlorophyll-a for which sub-surface maxima coincided at some stations, are shown. Extremely high concentrations of CH4 (up to 351 nmol L−1) in the near-bottom water layer were revealed during all seasons at the station near the Dnieper paleo-channel at the northwestern edge of the study area. This enrichment is assumed to be caused by methane emissions from gas seeps densely located in this region.

Methane plume detection after the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosion in the Baltic Sea

On September 26th, 2022, the detonations at the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 resulted in some of the largest non-natural releases of methane known. The distribution of methane in the surrounding seawater and the possible effects were not apparent. To trace the pathways of methane we recorded CH4 concentrations and the isotopic signal (δ13C-CH4) in seawater, and air. A week post-explosion, we detected methane concentrations up to 4 orders of magnitude above the natural Baltic Sea background. The released fossil methane created a distinct plume with δ13C-CH4 ratios differing from natural background values. The strong water stratification preserved the distribution pattern initiated by the explosion, shown by the laterally strong concentration gradient within the plume. Our analysis encompasses three stages of the explosion's impact; the initial sea-air methane release, measurements taken during our research expedition one week later, and a third stage triggered by the shift from summer to winter conditions as an outlook on how winter mixing and microbial activity will influence the plume.

Analysis of Seismic Methane Anomalies at the Multi-Spatial and Temporal Scales

Relevant studies have shown that methane gas has a close relationship with seismic activity. The concentration of methane released within a tectonic zone can reflect the intensity status of tectonic activities, which is important for seismic monitoring. In this study, the January 2020 Xinjiang Jiashi earthquake was taken as the research object, and the mature Robust Satellite Technique (RST) algorithm was used to characterize the L3-level methane product data from the hyperspectral sensor, Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), installed on the Earth Observing System (EOS) AQUA satellite at the monthly scale, 8-day scale and daily scale. An analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of methane was carried out for before and after the earthquake based on the 3D structural condition of the gas, and the 3D structural conditions of the 8-day scale were introduced. An 8-day scale 3D structural condition was introduced and migration validation was performed, and the results showed that (1) the seismic methane anomaly-extraction process proposed in this study is feasible; (2) the 3D contour features indicated that the methane anomalies that occurred before the Jiashi earthquake were caused by geogenic emissions; (3) the anomaly-extraction algorithm from this study did not extract the corresponding anomalies in the non-seismic year, which indicated that the anomaly-extraction algorithm of this study has some degree of feasibility; and (4) the migrated validation of the Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008 further suggested that methane anomalies at the time of the Wenchuan earthquake were caused by the earthquake.

In-flight characterization of a compact airborne quantum cascade laser absorption spectrometer

Abstract. Here, we report on the development of a new quantum cascade laser infrared absorption spectroscopy (QLAS) instrument, the Airborne Tropospheric Tracer In-situ Laser Absorption spectrometer (ATTILA), for atmospheric trace-gas measurements on board of the German High-Altitude Long-range Observatory (HALO) aircraft. Its small and light design makes it suitable for airborne measurements up to approximately 150 hPa of ambient pressure (13–14 km). The dual laser instrument can measure several trace gases simultaneously in two 36.4 m path astigmatic Herriott cells with a data acquisition frequency of 1 Hz. We describe the measurement method and the data acquisition of ATTILA and its in-flight performance by focusing on potential sources of influences on the signal, which we investigated with a dedicated test flight during which the instrument sampled from a constant source. We show that linear critical influences associated with challenging movement patterns can be corrected afterwards, while nonlinear limitations can be minimized by appropriate calibration frequencies and integrated time intervals. During the recent aircraft campaign CAFE Brazil (Chemistry of the Atmosphere Field Experiment in Brazil) from December 2022 to January 2023, carbon monoxide (CO) measurements from ATTILA show a good agreement of a R2 of 0.89 with simultaneous CO measurements from an established IR spectrometer for airborne measurements, the TRacer In Situ TDLAS (tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy) for Atmospheric Research (TRISTAR), at a 10 s time resolution. First dynamical characteristics and tracer distributions of CO and methane (CH4) over the Amazon rainforest can be identified with ATTILA measurements with a total measurement uncertainty of 10.1 % and 17.5 % for calibration gas mixing ratios of 153 and 1990 ppbv and a data accuracy of 0.3 % and 5.5 % for a data acquisition frequency of 1 Hz for CO and CH4, respectively.

Research on the hazards of gas leakage and explosion in a full-scale residential building

The gas explosion in residential building has always been a highly concerned problem. Explosions in homogeneous mixtures have been extensively studied. However, mixtures are often inhomogeneous in the practical scenarios due to the differences in the densities of methane and air. In order to investigate the effects of gas explosions in inhomogeneous mixtures, experimental studies involving gas leakage and explosion are conducted in a full-scale residential building to reproduce the process of gas explosion. By fitting the dimensionless buoyancy as a function of dimensionless height and dimensionless time, a distribution model of gas in large-scale spaces is established, and the mechanism of inhomogeneous distribution of methane is also be revealed. Furthermore, the stratified reconstruction method (SRM) is introduced for efficiently setting up inhomogeneous concentration fields in FLACS. The simulation results highlight that for the internal overpressure, the distribution of methane has no effect on the first overpressure peak (ΔP1), while it significantly influences the subsequent overpressure peak (ΔP2), and the maximum difference between the overpressure of homogeneous and inhomogeneous distribution is 174.3%. Moreover, the initial concentration distribution also has a certain impact on the external overpressure.

A pole-to-pole map of hydrocarbons in Saturn’s upper stratosphere and mesosphere

We analyze data from the final two years of the Cassini mission to retrieve the distributions of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), and benzene (C6H6) in Saturn’s upper stratosphere and mesosphere from stellar occultations observed by the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS), spanning latitudes from pole to pole. These observations represent the first two-dimensional snapshot of the photochemical production region with latitude and depth for these five light hydrocarbons around the northern summer solstice. To support this analysis, we combine temperature-pressure profiles retrieved from the UVIS occultations and limb scans observed by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) with the CH4 profiles to provide atmospheric structure models for each occultation location that span the middle and upper atmosphere. We detect a strong meridional trend in the homopause pressure level that implies much weaker mixing at the poles than near the subsolar point. This is shown by the homopause pressure level, which ranges from ∼0.05μbar around the subsolar point to ∼5μbar at the poles, with the corresponding values of the eddy diffusion coefficient Kzz ranging from ∼1000 m2 s−1 to 1–10 m2 s−1, respectively, at the 2 μbar level. This trend could be explained by upwelling at low latitudes and downwelling at high latitudes in both hemispheres and we estimate that vertical wind speeds of less than 2 cm s−1 would be required. The distributions of the photochemical products follow the homopause trend but they also show a clear seasonal trend at pressures between 0.01 and 10 μbar, with higher abundances in the summer hemisphere than in the winter hemisphere. We compare the observed distributions with results from one-dimensional seasonal photochemical models, with and without ion chemistry, to explore the impact of ion chemistry on the results. The best agreement between the models and the observations is obtained in the summer hemisphere, whereas disagreements in the winter hemisphere and auroral region may be due to the lack of transport by global circulation and auroral electron and ion precipitation in our photochemical models. Ion chemistry is particularly important for matching the observed C6H6 distribution, whereas differences between the neutral only and ion chemistry models are more modest for the other species. We also compare the C2H2 profiles retrieved from the UVIS occultations to those retrieved from the CIRS limb scans and find good agreement between the retrievals at pressures where they overlap.

IMK–IAA MIPAS retrieval version 8: CH4 and N2O

Abstract. Using the IMK–IAA data processor, methane and nitrous oxide distributions were retrieved from version-8 limb emission spectra recorded with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS). The dataset includes measurements from the nominal, upper troposphere–lower stratosphere, middle-atmosphere, upper-atmosphere and noctilucent-cloud observation modes. The processing differs from the previous version-5 data with respect to the atmospheric state variables that are jointly retrieved along with the target gases CH4 and N2O, the treatment of the radiance offset, the selection of microwindows, the regularization, the spectroscopic data used and the treatment of horizontal variability of the atmospheric state. Besides the regular data product, a coarse-grid representation of the profiles with unity averaging kernels is available, as well as a specific research product for middle-atmosphere measurements resulting from a slightly different retrieval approach. The CH4 errors are dominated by the large spectroscopic uncertainty for line intensities, which probably is too pessimistic, and estimated to be 21 %–34 % in the altitude range 6–68 km for northern midlatitude summer day conditions. The N2O errors are 7 %–17 % below 45 km. At higher altitudes they increase strongly due to nearly vanishing N2O amounts. Analysis of the horizontal averaging kernels reveals that for both gases the horizontal resolution is sampling-limited; i.e., information is not smeared over consecutive limb scans. Zonal-mean seasonal composites of both CH4 and N2O exhibit the typical distribution of source gases with strong upwelling in the tropics and subsidence above the winter poles. Comparison with the previous data version shows several improvements: first, the vertical resolution of the retrieved CH4 (N2O) profiles has generally been significantly enhanced and varies between 2.5 (2.5) and 4 (5) km at altitudes between 10 and 60 km, with the best resolution around 30 km for both species. Secondly, the number of non-converged retrievals has been clearly reduced, and thirdly, formerly strongly oscillating profiles are now considerably smoother.

Overview: Distribution, Occurrence, and Origins of Methane Hydrates around the Japan Islands

Overview: Distribution, Occurrence, and Origins of Methane Hydrates around the Japan Islands

Methane Distribution, Production, and Emission in the Western North Pacific

AbstractThe ocean is a source of atmospheric methane (CH4), but there are still large uncertainties in the estimations of global oceanic CH4 emission due to sparse data coverage. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution and influencing factors of CH4 in the Western North Pacific (WNP) during May–June 2021. High‐resolution continuous underway measurements showed that surface CH4 concentrations indicated an obvious spatial gradient with an increase from the south to the north due to the influence of water mixing between Kuroshio Extension (KE) and Oyashio. Surface water was generally oversaturated with respect to the atmospheric CH4, and high CH4 fluxes occurred in the Kuroshio‐Oyashio transition region due to high productivity and intensive air‐sea interaction, emphasizing the importance of the Kuroshio‐Oyashio transition region in global oceanic CH4 emission. Vertically, subsurface CH4 maximums were observed around 50–300 m due to in situ production through multiple pathways, and their distributions in the water column were affected by subduction of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) and advective transport. Methylphosphonate (MPn) enrichment experiment and 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that in subtropical region and Kuroshio‐Oyashio transition region, Vibrio spp. might produce CH4 by degrading MPn. Although this process was inhibited by inorganic phosphorus and regulated by iron stress, it might be a potential source of CH4 in the oxygenated water in the WNP. Our results contribute to better constrain the global oceanic CH4 emission, and help understanding the role of biological and physical processes in regulating CH4 emission in the WNP.