The Australian Ocean Data Network provides measurements of methane distribution in the water column of the Ragay Gulf, Philippines. The dataset characterizes unusual mid-water and bottom-water methane plumes between 80 and 100 m thick, with an average surface supersaturation of 206±16.5% and an estimated sea-air flux of 101 nmole.cm-2.y-1. Data was last updated on 2026-06-16.
Use Cases
- Modeling methane transport from seafloor seepage to the atmosphere based on plume depth and concentration data.
- Estimating natural fossil methane fluxes from ocean to atmosphere using reported sea-air flux calculations.
- Analyzing the relationship between methane anomalies and seawater density gradients (thermocline) described in the study.
- Comparing thermogenic methane sources in semi-enclosed basins to biogenic sources in other oceanic regions.
Strengths
- Provides specific quantitative measurements, including average methane supersaturation (206±16.5%) and estimated sea-air flux (101 nmole.cm-2.y-1).
- Describes detailed spatial characteristics of methane plumes, including thickness (80-100 m) and confinement depth (100-220 m).
- Includes geochemical interpretation suggesting a thermogenic origin for the elevated methane concentrations.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on a single gulf.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Vertical distribution measurements taken in the water column at nine locations.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-16 23:15:47.483177; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Ragay Gulf, Philippines archipelago.