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Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences pp 1–7Cite as

Methane in Marine Sediments

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Definition

Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH4. At room temperature and standard pressure, methane is a colorless, odorless gas. It is the main component of natural gas and thus important as an energy source. Due to its ability to absorb energy on the infrared band, methane plays a direct role in the Earth’s greenhouse effect.

Methane Distribution

Methane represents a key component of the carbon cycle in marine sediments. The amount of carbon that presently occurs as methane in marine sediments is thought to be ~500–10,000 Gt (Kvenvolden and Lorenson, 2001; Milkov, 2004; 1 Gt = 1015g). The size of this reservoir is ultimately determined by a balance of organic carbon sources and sinks, which vary in time and space. The loci of large methane deposits are further controlled by thermal, lithological, and structural characteristics of the sediments. Methane production is fundamentally controlled by organic carbon rain to the sediments, which in turn depends...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, University of Bremen, MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, 330 440, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Gerhard Bohrmann

  2. College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 CEOAS Administration Building, 97331-5503, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Marta E. Torres

Authors
  1. Gerhard Bohrmann
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  2. Marta E. Torres
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerhard Bohrmann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Jan Harff

  2. Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Meschede

  3. Leibiniz Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Sven Petersen

  4. Academy of Sciences, Humanities, and Lit c/o Helmholtz-Center for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

    Jörn Thiede

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Bohrmann, G., Torres, M.E. (2014). Methane in Marine Sediments. In: Harff, J., Meschede, M., Petersen, S., Thiede, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_190-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_190-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6644-0

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