Published 16:54 IST, July 23rd 2020
'Microbe Waterfall': First active methane leak discovered in Antarctica seafloor
For the first time, scientists have discovered an active leak of methane gas from the seafloor in Antarctica and described it as ‘microbe waterfall’.
For the first time, scientists have discovered an active leak of methane gas from the seafloor in Antarctica and described it as ‘microbial waterfall’. According to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, scientists believe that there is a massive amount of methane stored below the ocean floor in Antarctica. Marine ecologist Andrew Thurber, who is an assistant professor at Oregon State University and co-author of the study, said that he was ‘immediately enamoured’ after seeing the white patches on the ocean floor, which were basically clusters of tiny organisms drawn to the methane leak.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change and warms the planet much more than carbon dioxide, however, scientists said that there is no evidence of climate change behind the Antarctica methane seep. They noted that global warming could cause permafrost to thaw and release methane long trapped within. Although, the researchers also added that if the methane reaches the atmosphere it could exacerbate global warming.
The study informed that the methane leak was first discovered in 2011 and it took five years for the microorganisms that help filter away the gas to develop at the site. While the atmospheric levels of methane have been rising due to human activities including agriculture and oil and gas drilling, the scientists noted that the microbes which consume the gas before it can rise through the water into the air will not help mitigate human-caused emissions, which account for at least half the methane in the atmosphere.
Source of methane leak remains unknown
With the recent discovery, the study noted that in previous researches natural underwater methane seeps have focused on depths of 200 to 600 meters, where the gas passes through ‘a lot of microbial mouths’ before it can reach the atmosphere. However, the seep in Antarctica was a mere 10 metres down, which has put the methane on a fast track to the surface. Thurber said that with only 10 metres, the methane can make it into the atmosphere and start becoming a potential player in methane budgets.
While the researchers said that the ultimate source of this methane leak remains unknown, however, believe that the recent findings would deepen their understanding of the way that methane is consumed and released in Antarctica. The scientists said that the fact that no leak had been identified in the region before is now hindering the understanding of the processes that regulate the release of Antarctica’s methane.
Thurber said, "We need to view these as systems that don’t respond in a matter of days or an hour or a month but on the time scale of years. As years start to add up, that becomes something that may potentially impact our ability to predict our future planet”.
(Image: Andrew Thurber/Oregon State University)
Updated 16:54 IST, July 23rd 2020