Potential Effect of Methane Oxidation and Nitrification-Denitrification on the Oxygen Budget of Hamilton Harbour

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Abstract
Samples of gas generated by Hamilton Harbour have been collected at a deep water station (20 m) for four months during the summer and early fall of 1975. Methane and nitrogen are the only significant gases collected at the sediments or at the top of the water column. Methane is lost from the rising gas bubble but nitrogen is not lost. Sources of methane and nitrogen gas production are reviewed. Complete oxidation of the methane lost from the gas bubble represents an oxygen sink of 0.3 gm O2/m2/day. Nitrogen production represents an oxygen sink of 0.1 gm O2/m2/day; this assumes that all nitrogen collected is due to nitrification-denitrification of ammonia produced in the sediments. These sinks are respectively estimated to account for 16–32% and 7–14% of the hypolimnetic oxygen demand. These data provide initial order estimates for two components of the hypolimnetic oxygen demand and a partial basis for construction and calibration of an oxygen model for Hamilton Harbour.

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