Methane Anomalies in Ragay Gulf Seawaters with Flux Estimates

206% average methane supersaturation was measured in the top 5 meters of the Ragay Gulf, Philippines. The dataset contains vertical distribution measurements of methane, revealing mid-water and bottom-water plumes likely of thermogenic origin. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling methane flux from sea to atmosphere based on reported supersaturation and estimated flux rates.
• Analyzing the relationship between methane plumes and thermocline structure based on temperature-depth gradient data.
• Comparing natural fossil methane fluxes from this study with anthropogenic or biogenic fluxes from other regions.
• Investigating the origin and migration pathways of subsurface methane based on geochemical and geological evidence.

Strengths

• Provides specific methane supersaturation percentages (average 206±16.5%) and estimated sea-air flux rates (average 101 nmole.cm-2.y-1).
• Describes detailed vertical distribution of methane with plume thickness (80-100 m) and depth confinement (100-220 m).
• Includes comparative analysis with fluxes from other regions like the Barents Sea and US shelf areas.

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 the single study location in the Ragay Gulf.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Vertical measurements of methane in the water column at nine locations.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:04:01.349682; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Ragay Gulf, Philippines archipelago.