A team of international scientists aboard an icebreaker has discovered an incredibly high concentration of methane gas escaping from the Arctic Ocean floor in Siberia. Its source is still unknown
On July 22, 2014, they stumbled upon mysterious giant methane plumes in northern Siberia (no giant sinkholes). This mega flare event released ten times more gas than that present in background seawater in the Arctic Ocean. So immense!
The source of this unexpected release of methane is unknown. Could it be linked to earthquakes? Scientists suppose this giant methane gas ‘geyser’ is linked to the mix of relatively warm water from the Atlantic Ocean (from Gulf Stream?) into the Arctic Ocean.
These early glimpses of what may be in store for a warming Arctic Ocean could help scientists project the future releases of the strong greenhouse gas methane from the Arctic Ocean. Moreover, they hope to understand the role this released methane might play in global warming.
Do you have an idea where these mysterious giant methane plumes discovered in the Arctic Ocean (SIBERIA) come from?
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[…] On methane topic – Mysterious Giant Methane Plumes Discovered In Arctic Ocean […]