Methane in shallow cold seeps at Mocha Island off central Chile

We studied for the first time the intertidal and subtidal gas seepage system in Mocha Island off Central Chile. Four main seepage sites were investigated (of which one site included about 150 bubbling points) that release from 150 to 240 tonnes CH4 into the atmosphere per year. The total amount of methane emitted into the atmosphere is estimated in the order of 800 tonnes per year. The gases emanated from the seeps contain 70% methane, and the stable carbon isotopic composition of methane, δ13C–CH4 averaged −44.4±1.4‰ which indicates a major contribution of thermogenic gas. Adjacent to one of the subtidal seeps, rocky substrates support a diverse community of microbial filaments, macroalgae, and benthic organisms. While stable carbon isotopic compositions of marine benthic organisms indicate a dominant photosynthesis-based food web, those of some hard-substrate invertebrates were in the range −48.8‰ to −36.8‰, suggesting assimilation of methane-derived carbon by some selected taxa. This work highlights the potential subsidy of the trophic web by CH4–C, and that its emission to the atmosphere justifies the need of evaluating the use of methane to support the energy requirements of the local community.

Research highlights
► 815 metric tonnes of methane are released in Mocha Island off central Chile every year.
► δ13C–CH4 averaged −44.4±1.4‰ which indicates a major contribution of thermogenic gas.
► Emission of methane may support energy requirements of the local island community.