Huge accumulations of methane gas at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean: the moon can “release” them

The moon regulates the tides and determines the amount of methane that is released from sedimentary rocks on the ocean floor. During low tide, when pressure drops, more methane is released, and rising water increases pressure, so less methane is released, Live Science writes.

The study was conducted in the western Arctic region of Svalbard, and its results were published in the Dec. 9 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

“This is the first time this phenomenon has been observed in the Arctic Ocean. This means that small changes in pressure can release significant amounts of methane. This is the study’s biggest discovery, which changes all the rules of the game,” said the geologist. Marine Jochen Knies of the Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) in a press release.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming by trapping and trapping heat in the atmosphere. There are huge accumulations of methane under the ocean floor and it is believed that warming ocean temperatures could release this gas. Therefore, understanding the impact of tides on methane emissions will allow us to predict future climate change with greater precision.

To discover this tidal effect, a team of scientists measured pressure and temperature in sedimentary rocks. She noted that the volumes of gas at the bottom of the ocean increase and decrease, depending on the tide or low tide.

Using continuous monitoring devices, the researchers were able to capture methane emissions in that part of the Arctic Ocean where it had not been previously observed.

“This shows us that seabed gas emissions are more common than what we see with traditional sonar,” Andreia Plaza Faverola of CAGE, a marine geologist and geophysicist, said in a press release.

This discovery means that scientists have underestimated greenhouse gas emissions in the Arctic.

“What we found was unexpected and the importance of our discovery is enormous. At that point, the depth of the water is very high. Small changes in pressure can increase gas emissions, but the methane will remain in the ocean due to the depth of the water. But what about the shallow places? A similar study is needed in the shallower parts of the Arctic Ocean. Methane is more likely to reach the atmosphere in shallower areas, ”Knies said.

This newly discovered phenomenon also raises the question of how rising sea levels and rising ocean temperatures, both caused by climate change, will interact. As floods reduce methane emissions, rising sea levels may offset the threat of increased methane emissions, which will be exacerbated by warming oceans, scientists say.