Andy Montgomery

• PhD
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Montana State University

Understanding microbial production and consumption of methane, a potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, is critical for bridging knowledge gaps in global carbon cycling. In anoxic environments, methane is known to be produced through hydrogenotrophic, acetoclastic or methylotrophic mechanisms. Methane production from hydrocarbons may also be impo...

Understanding microbial production and consumption of methane, a potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, is critical for bridging knowledge gaps in global carbon cycling. In anoxic environments, methane is known to be produced through hydrogenotrophic, acetoclastic or methylotrophic mechanisms. Methane production from hydrocarbons may also be impo...

Hydrothermal plumes are deep-sea extreme environments that support dynamic microbial metabolisms. Chemoautotrophic production coupled to the oxidation of reduced energy-laden substrates has been considered the primary metabolism in plumes. Recently, sequencing data suggested organic carbon cycling may also be important. However, the biogeochemical...

Mesoscale eddies are energetic and swirling circulations that frequently occur in the open ocean. The effects of mesoscale eddies on the biogeochemical cycling of climate-relevant gases remain poorly constrained. We investigated the distribution and air-sea fluxes of CO2, methane, and five non–methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) in an anticyclone eddy of...

Plain Language Summary Methanol is one of the most abundant oxygenated volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere and microbial methanol metabolism is an important part of the marine carbon cycle. However, only a limited number of studies describe methanol cycling in marine waters, and the sources and sinks of methanol remain largely unconstraine...

Methane is supersaturated in surface seawater and shallow coastal waters dominate global ocean methane emissions to the atmosphere. Aerobic methane oxidation (MOx) can reduce atmospheric evasion, but the magnitude and control of MOx remain poorly understood. Here we investigate methane sources and fates in the East China Sea and map global MOx rate...

Non‐methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) play an important role in atmospheric chemistry and the ocean is a source of NMHCs in the atmosphere. Here, we investigated the annual variations of NMHCs concentrations and fluxes (i.e., ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, and isoprene) in the semi‐enclosed shallow waters of Jiaozhou Bay from September 2016 to Au...

Dimethylated sulfur compounds play an important role in global sulfur cycle. We investigated the seasonality of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylsulfide (DMS) and associated processes in two north China marginal seas during 2014 and 2016. High concentrations of DMS, DMSP and DMSO occurred in summer/spring, while...

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas; methane production and consumption within seafloor sediments has generated intense interest. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and methanogenesis (MOG) primarily occur at the depth of the sulfate-methane transition zone or underlying sediment respectively. Methanogenesis can also occur in the sulfate-reducing...

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and alcohols are key intermediates of anaerobic carbon metabolism, yet their biogeochemical cycling remains poorly constrained in hydrothermal systems. We investigated the abundance, stable carbon isotopic composition, and metabolic cycling of VFAs and alcohols to elucidate their generation and utilization pathways in hy...

Acetate is a key intermediate of organic matter mineralization, but its metabolism remains largely unconstrained in the pelagic ocean. We conducted an integrated biogeochemical study to investigate microbial acetate cycling in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the goal of elucidating the importance of acetate as a carbon and energy source. Acetate w...

Low molecular weight (LMW) compounds are key intermediates in organic matter degradation and their metabolism supports a diverse microbial community in anoxic sediments. Much remains to be learned about the metabolic pathways and turnover rates of LMW compounds as well as the factors that influence their metabolism in the environment. We studied th...

Microbial methanogenesis is a known source of methane in marine environment, but the factors affecting the production of methane from different pathways remain largely unconstrained. We investigated the effects of pressure, methane concentration, temperature, and sulfate reduction activity on the conversion of methanogenic substrates to methane usi...