Global Climate impacts of methane seeps (Global CliMetS)

Cold seeps (methane seeps) are chemosynthetic ecosystems. Methane and other types of carbon released from seafloor serve as energy and carbon sources of chemoautotrophic microbes that form tight symbiosis with marine benthos living in the seep fields. As distribution of cold seeps in global ocean is largely unknown and the flux of methane from seep fields has hardly been quantified.  The impact of cold seeps on global climate change, biogeography and ecosystems functionality remains a hug knowledge gap in ocean science. To fill this critical gap, we are proposing a UN Decade of Ocean Science Program, entitled “Global Climate impacts of methane seeps (Global CliMetS)” to 1) build the capacity in cold seep observation, monitoring, and research in the southen America, Africa, the southen Asia, SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs through scientific exchange and training, 2) draw distribution maps of global cold seeps,  3) quantify the methane flux (such as methane, gas hydrates, and dissolved organic carbon from cold seep fields), understand the fate and pathways of methane released from the sea floor, and assess impact of these gases released from seafloor on global climate changes, biodiversity, function, resilience, and connectivity and global biogeography of different cold seep ecosystems, and 4)  develop innovative technology for in situ environmental monitoring, environmental risk assessment of potential methane release due to gas hydrate degradation and natural and human-induced methane leakage, and  programmes. In this presentation, I would like to highlight the implementation plan of this program.