
Photo courtesy of Natalia Shakhova Methane burns as it escapes through a hole in the ice in a lagoon above the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.
The seafloor off the coast of Northern Siberia is releasing more than twice the amount of methane as previously estimated, according to new research results published in the Nov. 24 edition of the journal Nature Geoscience.
The East Siberian Arctic Shelf is venting at least 17 teragrams of the methane into the atmosphere each year. A teragram is equal to 1 million tons.
“It is now on par with the methane being released from the arctic tundra, which is considered to be one of the major sources of methane in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Natalia Shakhova, one of the paper’s lead authors and a scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “Increased methane releases in this area are a possible new climate-change-driven factor that will strengthen over time.”
Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. On land, methane is released when previously frozen organi
c material decomposes. In the seabed, methane can be stored as a pre-formed gas or asmethane hydrates. As long as the subsea permafrost remains frozen, it forms a cap, effectively trapping the methane beneath. However, as the permafrost thaws, it develops holes, which allow the methane to escape. These releases can be larger and more abrupt than those that result from decomposition.
The findings are the latest in an ongoing international research project led by Shakhova and Igor Semiletov, both researchers at the UAF International Arctic Research Center. Their twice-yearly arctic expeditions have revealed that the subsea permafrost in the area has thawed much more extensively than previously thought, in part due to warming water near the bottom of the ocean. The warming has created conditions that allow the subsea methane to escape in much greater amounts than their earlier models estimated. Frequent storms in the area hasten its release into the atmosphere, much in the same way stirring a soda releases the carbonation more quickly.
“Results of this study represent a big step forward toward improving our understanding of methane emissions from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf,” said Shakhova. She noted that while the ESAS is unusual in its expansive and shallow nature, the team’s findings there speak to the need for further exploration of the subsea Arctic. “I believe that all other arctic shelf areas are significantly underestimated and should be paid very careful attention to.”
The East Siberian Arctic Shelf is a methane-rich area that encompasses more than 2 million square kilometers of seafloor in the Arctic Ocean. It is more than three times as large as the nearby Siberian wetlands, which have been considered the primary Northern Hemisphere source of atmospheric methane. Previous estimates performed for the ESAS suggested that the area was releasing 8 teragrams of methane into the atmosphere yearly.
During field expeditions, the research team used a variety of techniques—including sonar and visual images of methane bubbles in the water, air and water sampling, seafloor drilling and temperature readings—to determine the conditions of the water and permafrost, as well as the amount of methane being released.
Methane is an important factor in global climate change, because it so effectively traps heat. As conditions warm, global research has indicated that more methane is released, which then stands to further warm the planet. Scientists call this phenomenon a positive feedback loop.
“We believe that the release of methane from the Arctic, and in particular this part of the Arctic, could impact the entire globe,” Shakhova said. “We are trying to understand the actual contribution of the ESAS to the global methane budget and how that will change over time.”
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Methane emissions
[google_news title=”” keyword=”methane emissions” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Methane emissions
- US deal could plug Turkmenistan’s colossal methane emissionson June 1, 2023 at 9:00 pm
The central Asian country has the worst rate of climate-heating ‘super-emitter’ events in the world ...
- Scepter, ExxonMobil and AWS to Develop Innovative Platform for Methane Monitoringon June 1, 2023 at 9:53 am
Scepter and ExxonMobil joined forces with AWS to develop an innovative data analytics platform aimed at characterizing and quantifying methane emissions.
- Biden officials ‘in serious talks’ with Turkmenistan on curbing vast methane emissionson June 1, 2023 at 9:45 am
US officials are reportedly in serious talks with Turkmen counterparts on a climate crisis deal that would help Turkmenistan curb its vast emissions of super-pollutant methane. Bloomberg on May 31 ...
- Innovative Partnership Sets New Standards for Methane Detection and Mitigationon May 31, 2023 at 2:26 pm
This partnership has the potential to redefine the detection and mitigation of methane emissions, with future plans for global deployment across various industries such as energy, ...
- bneGREEN: Biden officials ‘in serious talks’ with Turkmenistan on curbing vast methane emissionson May 31, 2023 at 10:43 am
By bne IntelIiNews US officials are reportedly in serious talks with Turkmen counterparts on a climate crisis deal that would help Turkmenistan curb its vast emissions of super-pollutant methane.
- Gas Pipeline Methane Emissions Under Congressional Scrutiny; PHMSA Issues Proposed Rulemaking Concerning Leak Detection and Repairon May 31, 2023 at 10:19 am
On May 4, 2023, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (the NPRM) concerning natural gas pipeline leak detection and repair ...
- Create Inter-ministerial Group to Address Fugitive Methane Emissions: Expertson May 31, 2023 at 5:41 am
At a time when India requires uninterrupted energy to fuel its overall growth we must fast track decisions by forming an inter-ministerial group to address iss ...
- Policy Watch: World dangerously lagging on plugging methane emissionson May 31, 2023 at 4:20 am
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently confirmed what many had feared. By 2027, average global temperature rise will be more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. We ...
- Methane must fall to slow global heating—but only 13% of emissions are actually regulatedon May 29, 2023 at 5:42 am
Over 100 countries signed on to the Global Methane Pledge to cut emissions by 30% compared to 2020 levels by 2030. This is a useful goal, but our new research shows that something is still missing ...
- The intensity of methane emissions from oil and gas sector has declined, study findson May 23, 2023 at 1:54 pm
The intensity of methane and greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector declined 28% and 30%, respectively, between 2019 and 2021 among the largest producers in the country, according to ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Seafloor methane
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Seafloor methane” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Seafloor methane
- Scientists Discover A Mysterious “Noodly Line” On Alaska Coaston June 2, 2023 at 2:46 pm
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discovered three unmapped gas seeps close to the Aleutian T ...
- Researchers cultivate archaea that break down crude oil in novel wayson June 1, 2023 at 8:00 am
The seafloor is home to around one-third of all the microorganisms on the Earth and is inhabited even at a depth of several kilometers. Only when it becomes too hot does the abundance of ...
- Cattle methane gas from belching and flatulence measured from spaceon May 31, 2023 at 5:01 pm
This is considered important since the International Agency of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture estimate that methane from cows' burps and farts has a great influence on climate change ...
- Petit-spot volcanoes involve the deepest known submarine hydrothermal activity, possibly release CO2 and methaneon May 31, 2023 at 5:01 pm
Now, scientists reveal that petit-spot hydrothermal activity occurs on the deepest seafloor known to date and could release carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, which may have implications for the global ...
- Ice Age Volcano Spewing Methane Discovered on Arctic Seabedon May 30, 2023 at 5:28 am
However, whether methane emitted from the sea floor actually makes it to our atmosphere is unclear. Giant "gate to hell" crater opens up in Russian town There could be something big living deep ...
- Ice Age Volcano Spewing Methane Discovered on Arctic Seabedon May 30, 2023 at 5:15 am
"Exploring the seabed and discovering new methane insights is like finding hidden treasures," said expedition leader Stefan Buenz.
- Scientists Discover World's 2nd Ever Mud Volcano In Norwegian Waters That Is Spitting Out Methaneon May 30, 2023 at 1:18 am
A mud volcano is a type of undersea geological formation that develops when fluids or gases, such as methane, are continuously ejected from the seafloor. The Borealis Mud Volcano is about 8 feet (2.5 ...
- Methane-Tracking Satellites Hunt For Nasty Greenhouse Gas Emissionson May 29, 2023 at 5:00 pm
It’s not the only greenhouse gas out there, though. Methane itself is a particularly potent pollutant, and one that is being emitted in altogether excessive amounts. Satellites are now on the ...
- Methane must fall to slow global heating—but only 13% of emissions are actually regulatedon May 29, 2023 at 5:42 am
Methane—a potent greenhouse gas and the second biggest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide (CO₂)—had its moment in the spotlight in 2021. Over 100 countries signed on to the Global ...
- Scientists discover giant crater from ice age explosion that has methane-spewing mud volcano inside iton May 29, 2023 at 4:00 am
The Borealis Mud Volcano is only the second found in Norwegian waters and releases a continuous stream of methane-rich, muddy liquid from deep below Earth's crust.