The Arctic Methane Bomb
- ywacc.ngo
- Oct 29, 2020
- 2 min read
Hi everyone! We hope you all are doing well! This week’s post will be about a recent scientific finding. On Tuesday, October 27th, the Guardian published an article detailing that frozen deposits of methane have started to be released off the East Siberian coast. High levels of methane have been detected up to 350 meters below sea level in the Laptev Sea, which is located off the coast of Russia. This novel finding is increasing concern amongst scientists and researchers because the high levels of methane possibly being released into the atmosphere could accelerate the pace of global warming. While it’s important to note that these findings are yet to be confirmed in a peer reviewed journal, it’s also important to seriously consider the implications of this observation.
The Arctic is home to large quantities of frozen methane and other greenhouse gasses, frozen in the land for centuries. These greenhouse gasses are called hydrates because of the freshwater used in the pressurization of these oils and compounds. The fact that researchers found evidence of methane being released is extremely alarming as methane has a “warming effect 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide over 20 years” (The Guardian, 2020).
Even though the team aboard the Russian research ship R/V Akademik Keldysh believes most of the methane is being absorbed into the Laptev Sea, the concentration of methane gas at the surface of the water is four to eight times than expected levels. The gas collected at the surface is eventually venting into the atmosphere.
These findings are not all that new as the process of Arctic glaciers melting and leaking greenhouse gasses has been expedited by human induced climate disruptions, so much so that scientists have termed the word “Arcitification” for the phenomenon.
Temperatures in Siberia were 5 degrees celsius warmer this year than normal. The Guardian writes that this “anomaly was made at least 600 times more likely by human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. Last winter’s sea ice melted unusually early. This winter’s freeze has yet to begin, already a later start than at any time on record.”
This phenomenon, although yet to be proven, is imperative to consider when discussing climate change and global warming. I think the climate scientists said it best; this really is an “Arctic methane bomb.”
Helpful Links and Sources:
https://theweek.com/speedreads/946300/climate-scientists-throw-cold-water-arctic-methane-bomb-report
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