Methane gas seeps from seabed outside Svalbard

A scientific study shows that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is escaping from the Arctic seabed. This could be a response to climate change and higher ocean temperatures and accelerate climate changes even more

A research team led by the National Oceanography Center in Southampton has found that more than 250 plumes of methane bubbles are rising from the sea-bed off Svalbard, Aftenposten writes.

Methane released from gas hydrate in submarine sediments has been identified in the past as an agent of climate change. The likelihood of methane being released in this way has been widely predicted.

“We already knew there was some methane hydrate in the ocean off Svalbard, but we did not expect to discover such strong evidence that this process has already started,” Professor Tim Minshull of the National Oceanography Center says.