Retreating glaciers in the Arctic are exposing groundwater springs containing very high concentrations of methane, which may add significant quantities of the greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.
鈥淭his is a novel methane emissions pathway that we hadn鈥檛 identified before,鈥 says at the University of Cambridge.
Hundreds of springs have emerged at the base of retreating glaciers across the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Kleber was intrigued by the springs, partly because of their 鈥渟ulphuric, eggy smell鈥. Although methane is odourless, microbes in high-methane conditions sometimes produce gases like hydrogen sulphide that have this distinctive smell. 鈥淲e knew…
