Methane concentration and stable carbon isotope ratios measured from ice and ice free waters along the Alaskan Shelf in the Beaufort Sea between 1992 and 2009 show strong spatial variation in flux rates to the atmosphere. Isotope analysis indicated the primary source of the methane is bacterial. The estimate from this region on the total contribution to the atmosphere is only 0.42% of the total annual loading of 560 Tg of methane per year.
