Russian geochemists “cancelled” the methane disaster in the Arctic

New data from GEOKHI scientists indicate minimal gas emissions from the bottom of the Kara Sea

The contribution of the Kara Sea to global warming, which the “greens” have long been talking about, is actually minimal. This conclusion was reached by employees of the Laboratory of Carbon Geochemistry named after. EM. Galimov Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry named after. IN AND. Vernadsky RAS. Scientists have assessed the real flow of methane from the bottom of the sea. The results of the work were published recently in the journal “Reports of the Russian Academy of Sciences.”

Researchers from GEOKHI RAS. S. Voropaev is on the right. Photo: V. Sevastyanov

Researchers studied the process of natural degassing of the Arctic shelf in the Kara Sea, which is important for the exploration of hydrocarbon reserves. Along the way, they assessed the processes in the shelf-sea-atmosphere system that affect the climate of our planet.

The fact is that for many years in a row, certain groups of scientists have been arguing that permafrost on the shelf of the Kara Sea is melting at an unprecedented rate, which ultimately can lead to a methane “explosion,” that is, a sharp rise in the level of methane in the atmosphere. This version was associated with large reserves of so-called gas hydrates — crystalline compounds formed under certain conditions from water and gas.

GEOKHI employees made their conclusions based on material representing columns of bottom sediments up to 6 meters deep in the Kara Sea. They were selected during an expedition on the research vessel «Akademik Mstislav Keldysh» in 2020.

Research work in the Kara Sea. Photo: S. Voropaev

— We analyzed the gas samples isolated from the columns for the content of main gases – methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and light hydrocarbons. These decomposition products of organic matter accumulate in the lower anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) sediments of bottom sediments, – explained senior researcher at the laboratory of carbon geochemistry, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences Sergei Voropaev. – Then a model of the distribution of methane in them was built.

As a result, based on an assessment of the flux of methane and CO2 at a typical point on the shelf, geochemists found that the contribution of the Kara Sea to overall climate warming is minimal, previous estimates of the “green” ; were greatly overestimated, and the risks were exaggerated.