Sulfate reduction and microbial processes of the methane cycle in the sediments of the Sevastopol Bay

The rates of microbial processes of sulfate reduction and of the methane cycle were measured in the bottom sediments of the Sevastopol basin, where seeps of gaseous methane have been previously found. Typically for marine environments, sulfate reduction played the major role in the terminal phase of decomposition of organic matter (OM) in reduced sediments of this area. The rate of this process depended on the amount of available OM. The rate of methanogenesis in the sediments increased with depth, peaking in the subsurface horizons, where decreased sulfate concentration was detected in the pore water. The highest rates of sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation were found close to the methane-sulfate transition zone as is typical of most investigated marine sediments. The data on the carbon isotopic composition of gaseous methane from the seeps and dissolved CH₄ from the bottom sediments, as well as on the rates of microbial methanogenesis and methane oxidation indicate that the activity of the methane seeps results from accumulation of biogenic methane in the cavities of the underlying geological structures with subsequent periodic release of methane bubbles into the water column.