THE ROLE OF BACTERIAL CHEMOSYNTHESIS AND METHANOTROPHY IN OCEAN BIOGEOCHEMISTRY

Quantitative estimations of autotrophic (CO2)-C-14-assimilation and (C H4)-C-14 oxidation have been given on the basis of complex biogeochemi cal study of water within the hydrothermal fluid jets fields, cold spr ings and gas jets at the ocean bottom. The experimental data have been uset to calculate the primary chemosynthesis and methanotrophy at the expense of endogenic H2S and CH4 for water of a series of hydrotherma l fields at the ocean bottom. Total organic matter (OM) yield expense of endogenic H2S and CH4 in the water of stagnated basins changes from 30 to 1000 mg C/m2 day or more. In the methanotrophs activity regions the oxidation of methane by bacteria reachs n. 100 mg C/m2 day. A con clusion has been made that the biogeochemical processes of methanotrop hic and chemoautotrophic synthesis of OM de nova within the fields of H2S and CH4-jets discharge are the global ones.