Dissolved methane in the residual basins of the Aral Sea

Abstract

Due to catastrophic desiccation, today’s Aral Sea consists of a few separate residual basins, characterized by different ecological conditions (the Large Aral, Lake Tshchebas, the Small Aral). This study is the first report on dissolved methane concentrations in these basins. Overall, 48 water samples were obtained and analyzed for methane content. High values of dissolved methane in the anaerobic layer of the Large Aral Sea, including the Chernyshev Bay, are apparently caused by damping of vertical mixing and decomposition of abundant organic matter in anoxic conditions. The estimated methane flux from the surface of the Large Aral Sea is actually higher than that from many other lakes in the world. For the anoxic layer of the Large Aral, certain relations between distributions of methane and other hydrochemical parameters, including dissolved oxygen and hydrogen sulfide, were found. In the brackish Small Aral Sea, methane content was moderate. Lake Tshchebas exhibits intermediate conditions between the Large and the Small Aral seas in terms of salinity and methane concentration. The observed differences of methane content and distributions in separate residual basins are linked with the differences of their mixing and oxygenation regimes.

Keywords

• methane
• anoxic conditions
• biogeochemical cycle
• the Aral Sea
• ecology