First active leak of sea-bed methane discovered in Antarctica | Environment | The Guardian

First active leak of sea-bed methane discovered in Antarctica | Environment | The Guardian

Active Antarctic methane leak discovered

Researchers have discovered the first known active leak of methane from the Antarctic seabed, offering the promise of a new understanding of our planet’s methane cycle. Antarctica is estimated to contain as much as a quarter of Earth’s marine methane. Ocean scientists spotted the leak by the tell-tale clue of large white mats of microbes feeding on the hydrocarbon. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and the release of it from frozen underwater stores or permafrost regions is a key tipping point that could lead to abrupt and irreversible climate changes.

The Guardian | 5 min readReference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B paper