Bussmann, Ingeborg; Lienkämper, Miriam; Fischer, Philipp (2026): Methane concentration and diffusive flux in the Northern Sea off Heligoland in 2024 [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.992632 (DOI registration in progress)
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Published: 2026-03-06
Abstract:
As part of the MOSES Project, in April 2023 methane measurements were started in the north-western part of the island Heligoland in the German Bight (North Sea). The objective was to complement the measurements of the Sternfahrten to identify the carbon cycle and its flow from the start of the Elbe river into the North Sea. Therefore, a Contros methane sensor for dissolved methane was deployed under water at about 10 to 12 meter depth (depending on the tide) close to the underwater observatory (UW-OBS) MarGate (54°11' N, 7°52' E), from the COSYNA Project. To ensure correct values latter was cleaned frequently from growing organisms by scientific divers. The present data contains the data from 2024, the second year running the sensors. Based on the concentrations of dissolved methane the methane emissions (diffusive flux) was calculated.
Keyword(s):
Related to:
Bussmann, Ingeborg; Achterberg, Eric Pieter; Brix, Holger; Kamjunke, Norbert; Raupers, Björn; Sanders, Tina (2025): The MOSES Sternfahrt Expeditions of the Research Vessels LITTORINA, LUDWIG PRANDTL and MYA II to the Elbe River, Elbe Estuary and German Bight in 2024. Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung = Reports on Polar and Marine Research, 804, 63 pp, https://doi.org/10.57738/BZPM_0804_2025
Documentation:
Nightingale, Philip D; Malin, Gill; Law, Cliff S; Watson, Andrew J; Liss, Peter S; Liddicoat, Malcolm; Boutin, Jacqueline; Upstill-Goddard, Robert C (2000): In situ evaluation of air-sea gas exchange parameterizations using novel conservative and volatile tracers. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 14(1), 373-387, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GB900091
Wanninkhof, Rik; Asher, William E; Ho, David T; Sweeney, Colm; McGillis, W R (2009): Advances in Quantifying Air-Sea Gas Exchange and Environmental Forcing. Annual Review of Marine Science, 1(1), 213-244, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.marine.010908.163742
Wiesenburg, Denis A; Guinasso Jr., Norman L (1979): Equilibrium solubilities of methane, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen in water and sea water. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 24(4), 356-360, https://doi.org/10.1021/je60083a006
Project(s):
Funding:
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant/award no. 03F0954B: DAM mareXtreme - ElbeXtreme, AWI
Coverage:
Latitude: 54.183300 * Longitude: 7.866700
Date/Time Start: 2024-01-01T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2024-12-31T23:00:00
Minimum DEPTH, water: 10.0 m * Maximum DEPTH, water: 10.0 m
Event(s):
2024_Heligoland_CH4 * Latitude: 54.183300 * Longitude: 7.866700 * Date/Time Start: 2024-01-01T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2024-12-31T00:00:00 * Location: Helgoland, North Sea * Method/Device: Methane sensor, 4H-JENA engineering GmbH, CONTROS HydroC® CH₄
Comment:
The solubility of methane was calculated with data on temperature and salinity of the MarGate field in 2024 according to the manufactures specifications (based on Guinasso et al., 1979)
For the flux calculation:
Data on wind and atmospheric methane concentration were used from the ICOS station Helgoland
Since the MarGate field is protected by the island in case of wind from the west, the following correction was made:
Wind from the direction between 140 and 240° was multiplied by 0.5, wind from the direction between 241° and 280° was multiplied by 0.7
These parameters were then used to calculate the diffusive flux for 2024 using Nightingale's formula
The sensor had been calibrated during the exposure time and the sensor drift of 0.001 ppm/d was applied to the data set.
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DATE/TIME | Date/Time | Bussmann, Ingeborg | Geocode | ||
| 2 | LATITUDE | Latitude | Bussmann, Ingeborg | Geocode | ||
| 3 | LONGITUDE | Longitude | Bussmann, Ingeborg | Geocode | ||
| 4 | DEPTH, water | Depth water | m | Bussmann, Ingeborg | Geocode – depending on the tidal level | |
| 5 | Methane, dissolved | CH4 diss | nmol/l | Bussmann, Ingeborg | Methane sensor, 4H-JENA engineering GmbH, CONTROS HydroC® CH₄ | |
| 6 | Methane, flux, diffusive | CH4 flux diff | µmol/m2/day | Bussmann, Ingeborg | Calculated according to Wanninkhof et al., 2009 and Nightingale et al., 2000 | |
| 7 | Gas transfer velocity | k | cm/h | Bussmann, Ingeborg | ||
| 8 | Methane saturation | CH4 sat | % | Bussmann, Ingeborg |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC) * Processing Level: PANGAEA data processing level 3 (ProcLevel3)
Size:
23382 data points
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