Original study (no paywall)

Nature:
Published: 01 October 2025

Antarctic seep emergence and discovery in the shallow coastal environment

"We report striking discoveries of numerous seafloor seeps of climate-reactive fluid and gases in the coastal Ross Sea, indicating this process may be a common phenomenon in the region. We establish the recent emergence of many of these seep features, based on their discovery in areas routinely surveyed for decades with no previous seep presence. Additionally, we highlight impacts to the local benthic ecosystem correlated to seep presence and discuss potential broader implications. With these discoveries, our understanding of Antarctic seafloor seeps shifts from them being rare phenomenon to seemingly widespread, and an important question is raised about the driver of seep emergence in the region. "

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63404-3

#climateemergency #methane #methanebomb #antarctica #science

Antarctic seep emergence and discovery in the shallow coastal environment - Nature Communications

Researchers reveal widespread, newly formed seafloor seeps along Antarctica’s Ross Sea coast. Methane-rich flows alter local ecosystems and may influence warming. The drivers remain unknown, warranting coordinated study.

Nature

Oooops! From 2010: "But Shakhova pointed out that scientists had not thought subsea permafrost would begin to thaw and release the gas. She said more research is needed to figure out whether the methane leaking from the #EastSiberianArcticShelf is an ongoing, steady phenomenon, or whether it suggests a new source of the gas is emerging as seafloor permafrost thaws."

March 5, 2010

Methane Leaks off Siberian Coast, Speeding Climate Change

Warmer oceans are thawing methane deposits, adding more of the greenhouse gas to the atmosphere

By Lauren Morello & ClimateWire

"A large amount of methane is bubbling up from the ocean floor east of Siberia at a surprising rate and could accelerate climate change, researchers said yesterday.

The gas is bubbling up from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf because warming ocean water is thawing permafrost, allowing methane trapped underneath to escape. The amount of methane emitted by that one patch of seabed roughly equals the amount scientists believed was released by all of the world's oceans."

Read more:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/methane-siberia-climate-change/

#MethaneLeaks #Methane #ArcticOcean #Siberia #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #GlobalWarming #Copernicus #GreenhouseGas #Collapse #MethaneBomb #ClimateFeedbackloop

Methane Leaks off Siberian Coast, Speeding Climate Change

Warmer oceans are thawing methane deposits, adding more of the greenhouse gas to the atmosphere

Scientific American

Sea of #methane sealed beneath #Arctic #permafrost could trigger climate feedback loop if it escapes

A sea of migrating methane discovered below the permafrost in Svalbard may eventually escape its icy prison if the permafrost continues to thaw due to #ClimateChange.

By Sascha Pare
published December 20, 2023

"Deep beneath the permafrost that blankets a group of islands in the #ArcticOcean lurks a growing and migrating sea of methane, researchers have discovered.

"The thick permafrost, or ground that remains frozen for at least two years, forms a tight seal that has so far prevented millions of cubic feet of methane from wafting out — but there's no guarantee that the potent greenhouse gas won't eventually escape, according to a study published Dec. 13 in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science.

"At present, the leakage from below permafrost is very low, but factors such as glacial retreat and permafrost thawing may 'lift the lid' on this in the future," lead author Thomas Birchall, a geologist at the University Center in Svalbard in Norway, said in a statement."

Read more:
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/sea-of-methane-sealed-beneath-arctic-permafrost-could-trigger-climate-feedback-loop-if-it-escapes

#MethaneLeaks #Methane #ArcticOcean #Norway #Svalsbad #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #GlobalWarming #Copernicus #GreenhouseGas #Collapse #MethaneBomb #ClimateFeedbackloop

Sea of methane sealed beneath Arctic permafrost could trigger climate feedback loop if it escapes

A sea of migrating methane discovered below the permafrost in Svalbard may eventually escape its icy prison if the permafrost continues to thaw due to climate change.

Live Science
Scottish Government approves Drax’s £500m hydro storage plant

Drax Group has secured development consent from the Scottish Government to build a £500m pumped storage hydro facility, which would be the first long-duration storage plant to be constructed in the UK in almost 40 years.

edie
Revealed: 1,000 super-emitting methane leaks risk triggering climate tipping points

Vast releases of gas, along with future ‘methane bombs’, represent huge threat – but curbing emissions would rapidly reduce global heating

The Guardian