<
https://phys.org/news/2023-07-arctic-glaciers-unearthing-source-methane.html>
'As the Arctic warms, shrinking glaciers are exposing bubbling groundwater
springs which could provide an underestimated source of the potent greenhouse
gas methane, finds new research published in
Nature Geoscience.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the
University Center in Svalbard, Norway, identified large stocks of methane gas
leaking from groundwater springs unveiled by melting glaciers.
The research suggests that these methane emissions will likely increase as
Arctic glaciers retreat and more springs are exposed. This, and other methane
emissions from melting ice and frozen ground in the Arctic, could exacerbate
global warming.
"These springs are a considerable, and potentially growing, source of methane
emissions—one that has been missing from our estimations of the global methane
budget until now," said Gabrielle Kleber, lead author of the research who is
from Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences.
Scientists are concerned that additional methane emissions released by the
Arctic thaw could ramp-up human-induced global warming. The springs the
researchers studied hadn't previously been recognized as a potential source of
methane emissions.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
