Widespread natural methane and oil leakage from sub-marine Arctic reservoirs

This paper presents empirical observations of widespread methane and oil release from geological reservoirs in the Arctic Ocean. Methane fluxes from over 7000 seeps, though depleted in seawater, reach the surface and may transfer to the atmosphere. These releases correlate with formerly glaciated geological structures, suggesting that glacial erosion has uncapped hydrocarbon reservoirs. This persistent, geologically controlled release may be characteristic of formerly glaciated hydrocarbon-bearing basins and represent an underestimated source of natural fossil methane in the global carbon cycle.

Pavel Serov, Rune Mattingsdal, Monica Winsborrow, Henry Patton, Karin Andreassen