Hydrocarbon gas in sediment from the shelf, slope and basin of the Bering Sea.

Methane, ethane, ethene, propane, propene, isobutane and n-butane are present in low concentrations in the top 2m of sediment. Methane is most abundant and its concentration increases with depth in the sediment. Ethane, ethene, propane and propene are present in almost all samples, but the concentrations of these gases are about two orders of magnitude-lower than the concentration of methane. The average ratios of ethane to ethene are usually greater than one in shelf sediment, about one in slope sediment, and usually less than one in basin sediments. These hydrocarbon gases are probably derived from low-temperature chemical and biochemical processes operating at or near the sea-floor. -from Authors