Carbon Isotopic Evidence for Methane Hydrate Instability During Quaternary Interstadials
Abstract
Large (about 5 per mil) millennial-scale benthic foraminiferal carbon isotopic oscillations in the Santa Barbara Basin during the last 60,000 years reflect widespread shoaling of sedimentary methane gradients and increased outgassing from gas hydrate dissociation during interstadials. Furthermore, several large, brief, negative excursions (up to –6 per mil) coinciding with smaller shifts (up to –3 per mil) in depth-stratified planktonic foraminiferal species indicate massive releases of methane from basin sediments. Gas hydrate stability was modulated by intermediate-water temperature changes induced by switches in thermohaline circulation. These oscillations were likely widespread along the California margin and elsewhere, affecting gas hydrate instability and contributing to millennial-scale atmospheric methane oscillations.
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We thank personnel of the Ocean Drilling Program for their efforts during drilling and assistance with sampling. We also thank D. Krause for encouragement and enlightening discussions during this work and for review of the manuscript. Critical inspiration came from the work of E. Nisbet and G. Dickens. We thank two anonymous reviewers for constructive advice. Careful technical assistance was provided by K. Thompson and H. Berg. Supported by NSF grant EAR99-0424 (Earth System History) and an NSF Fellowship to I.L.H. Twenty-five percent of this research was funded by the National Institute for Global Environmental Change through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (Cooperative Agreement DE-FC03-90ER61010). Conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DOE.
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Volume 288 | Issue 5463
7 April 2000
7 April 2000
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Received: 18 October 1999
Accepted: 23 February 2000
Published in print: 7 April 2000
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