Also, studies of Coal Oil Point conducted by Susan Mau at the University of California at Santa Barbara indicate that only one percent of the methane released into the ocean makes it into the atmosphere. Coal Oil Point, a huge and well studied natural methane seep on the bottom of the sea off the coast of Santa Barbara, releases about two million cubic feet of methane a day. By using data from 79 surface stations, they studied the plume of released gas in an area that covered 280 square kilometers. Full results will be published as the cover story in Volume 34 of Geophysical Research Letters.

David Valentine, associate professor of Earth Science at UC Santa Barbara, hypothesized that the methane is oxidized by microbial activity in the ocean. Although there was no attempt to capture or culture said microbes, there is little other explanation for the destruction of the methane. 

Microbial agents will be vital for minimizing the generation of methane due to the increased biological activity as DOW is brought to the surface by the Tidal Irrigation and Electrical System. The research above shows just how effective these microbes can be.