A group of scientific researchers has discovered a record methane emission coming from the eastern Siberian Sea, expedition organizer Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) said in a statement.
The scientists found concentrations of the greenhouse gas — which can significantly influence the planet’s climate — up to nine times the global average.
“This is the most powerful gas fountain I’ve ever seen,” said Igor Semiletov, the head of the expedition and a TPU professor. “No one has ever recorded anything like this before.”
Nearly 80 scientists from Russia, China and Sweden traveled to the eastern Arctic to study methane emissions
The statement said that while the researchers determined the exact location of the greenhouse gas fountain using instruments, it was so large that they were also able to see it bubbling through the seawater with their own eyes.