Researchers find methane leaking out of cracks in Antarctic seabed

(NEW YORK) — One of the most potent greenhouse gas emissions has been discovered seeping out of cracks of the Antarctic seafloor, researchers announced.

Methane has been measured escaping from crevices in the seabed at a high rate as the region warms at unprecedented rates, according to a paper published in Nature Communications.

A large reservoir of methane lies beneath sea floors around the world, which can escape through fissures in the sea floor, according to the paper.

The invisible gas can be seen in streams of bubbles originating on the seafloor of Antarctica’s Ross Sea — located on the northern coast of the continent — said the researchers, describing the mechanism as “seemingly widespread” throughout the region, rather than a “rare phenomenon.”

Numerous seafloor seeps of fluid