Methane production from acetate and associated methane fluxes from anoxic coastal sediments.

The apparent microbial conversion of acetate to methane ranges seasonally from 0.7 to 88 micromoles per liter of whole wet sediment per hour in the top 5 centimeters of methane-producing sediments underlying sulfate-reducing sediments in Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina. The associated methane flux across the sediment-water interface into overlying waters exhibits the same seasonal pattern. Significant methane production from acetate is observed only in sulfate-depleted sediments.