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Life at Cold Seeps: A Synthesis of Biogeochemical and Ecological Data from Kazan Mud Volcano, Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Created 23/01/2026

Updated 23/01/2026

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Recent field observations have identified the widespread occurrence of fluid seepage through the eastern Mediterranean Sea floor in association with mud volcanism or along deep faults. Gas hydrates and methane seeps are frequently found in cold seep areas and were anticipated targets of the MEDINAUT/MEDINETH initiatives. The study presented herein has utilized a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating observations and sampling of visually selected sites by the manned submersible Nautile and by ship-based sediment coring and geophysical surveys. The study focuses on the biogeochemical and ecological processes and conditions related to methane seepage, especially the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), associated with ascending fluids on Kazan mud volcano in the eastern Mediterranean. Sampling of adjacent box cores for studies on the microbiology, biomarkers, pore water and solid phase geochemistry allowed us to integrate different biogeochemical data within a spatially highly heterogeneous system. Geophysical results clearly indicate the spatial heterogeneity of mud volcano environments. Results from pore water geochemistry and modeling efforts indicate that the rate of AOM is 6 mol m-2 year-1, which is lower than at active seep sites associated with conditions of focused flow, but greater than diffusion-dominated sites. Furthermore, under the non-focused flow conditions at Kazan mud volcano advective flow velocities are of the order of a few centimeters per year and gas hydrate formation is predicted to occur at a sediment depth of about 2 m and below. The methane flux through these sediments supports a large and diverse community of micro- and macrobiota, as demonstrated by carbon isotopic measurements on bulk organic matter, authigenic carbonates, specific biomarker compounds, and macrofaunal tissues...

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Field Value
Title Life at Cold Seeps: A Synthesis of Biogeochemical and Ecological Data from Kazan Mud Volcano, Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/en/dataset/578df15c-76b8-4b63-ab3c-c24db93203d4
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 22/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Life at Cold Seeps: A Synthesis of Biogeochemical and Ecological Data from Kazan Mud Volcano, Eastern Mediterranean Sea". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/life-at-cold-seeps-a-synthesis-of-biogeochemical-and-ecological-data-from-kazan-mud-volcano-eas3