Antarctic methane adds to fears of accelerating climate change

New methane leaks have been discovered in the Ross Sea, on the edge of Antarctica, and the rate at which they are occurring is alarming scientists. According to a study recently published in Nature Communications and cited by CNN, the phenomenon is intensifying as the region warms, raising questions about the underestimation of current global warming predictions. Methane, an invisible but highly polluting gas, traps about 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in the first two decades of its existence in the atmosphere. Although researchers knew of the existence of huge reserves under the seabed, the recent leaks in Antarctica seem to indicate a major shift in the climate balance.

• Alarming discoveries in the Ross Sea

An international team of researchers used acoustic soundings, remotely operated vehicles and specialist divers to survey areas of the Ross Sea, at depths ranging from 5 to 240 metres. The result: more than 40 new methane seeps, some in previously monitored locations where no activity had been detected. "Something that was thought to be rare now appears to be widespread,” Dr. Sarah Seabrook, a researcher at Earth Sciences New Zealand and co-author of the study, told CNN. "Each new leak has been met with scientific excitement, followed immediately by deep concern.”

• A climate vicious cycle

Researchers warn that these leaks could release methane directly into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming in a vicious cycle: rising temperatures melt ice and destabilise marine sediments, leading to more methane emissions - which in turn amplify the warming. "Climate change is increasing methane emissions, and methane is accelerating climate change. It's a dangerous chain reaction,” Seabrook explains. The phenomenon is comparable to the situation in the Arctic, where previous research has linked methane emissions to melting glaciers and changes in sea levels.

• A natural laboratory or an epicenter of danger?

Professor Andrew Thurber, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, warns that Antarctica could become "an epicenter of climate danger” if methane emissions continue to increase. "Methane is a real unknown-it's rising into the atmosphere and we don't know why,” says Thurber. "These emissions are amazing to study, but we need to be very aware of what they can do if they are provoked or underestimated.” The scientists plan to return to Antarctica for a two-month expedition to analyze the impact of these emissions on the marine ecosystem and the atmosphere. The findings could fundamentally change our understanding of the oceans' role in regulating climate. The Ross Sea discoveries add a new piece to an increasingly complex climate puzzle. While carbon dioxide remains at the center of the climate change debate, methane is emerging as a silent but potentially devastating threat.