Scientists Find Large Arctic Ocean Area "Boiling With Methane Bubbles"

[Judi Lynn]

By Aral Bereux -November 1, 2019



Frozen methane trapped underwater. IStock

Russian scientists studying methane emissions from underwater permafrosts announced in October that they discovered an alarming 50-square-foot patch of East Siberian Sea that is “boiling with methane bubbles.” The findings have alarmed experts studying the consequences of permafrost methane emissions.

Lead scientist and Russian researcher Igor Semiletov released a statement in October noting the incredible but troubling discovery. “This is the most powerful seep I have ever been able to observe,” Semiletov said, describing the methane gas bubbling up from the seafloor to the surface. “No one has ever recorded anything similar.”

Semiletov has previously taken part in over 40 Arctic expeditions, and set sail in August on the Academic Mstislav Keldysh to where the methane leaks are known, just east of Bennett Island in the East Siberian Sea. Scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden accompanied him in making the discovery of “violent bubbles” making the water “boil.”

Permafrost is a mix of soil, sand and rocks bound and trapped by ice for two or more years and is primarily found in the uppermost areas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is now believed that a warming planet is causing the ice to thaw and release not only dangerous methane, but unknown ancient bacteria and viruses as well as carbon dioxide.

More:
https://www.captain-planet.net/scientists-find-large-arctic-ocean-area-boiling-with-methane-bubbles/