Spanish scientists have uncovered alarming methane leaks in Antarctica, raising concerns about the vast amounts of the potent greenhouse gas stored in the region’s seabed. Conducting research aboard the Spanish vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa, the team focused on the Pacific margin of the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the fastest-warming areas on Earth.
Geologist Rogers Urgeles, co-leading the expedition with Ricardo León, revealed that approximately 24 gigatons of carbon are trapped in methane hydrates in the area—equivalent to two years of global human emissions. Methane hydrates, a mix of water and methane gas under high pressure, result from the decomposition of organic matter buried for over 20,000 years beneath the polar seas. While most research has centered on the Arctic, the first active methane leak from the Antarctic seafloor was confirmed in 2020. Though further data is needed to assess the extent of the seepage, global warming is believed to be a contributing factor, even in regions like the Ross Sea, which has not yet experienced significant warming.
Methane is about 20 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, yet current climate models do not fully account for its release from the Antarctic seabed. The new study confirms extensive methane hydrate reserves in the Antarctic Peninsula that are destabilizing due to geological and climate-related processes. Scientists observed methane columns in the ocean reaching up to 700 meters in length and 70 meters in width, often escaping through mud volcanoes deep underwater. These methane columns dissolve approximately 150 meters from the ocean surface. Researchers stress the need for long-term monitoring to evaluate methane emissions and their potential atmospheric impact.
Source: Swifteradio.com
