Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In the Arctic, substantial amounts of methane are stored in marine sediments. Yet, the distribution and stability of methane reservoirs is poorly understood, especially offshore Greenland. As Arctic warming accelerates, understanding natural methane seepage is crucial for assessing its role in the carbon cycle and climate impact. Here, we present a unique interdisciplinary geoscientific data set that spans the ice-covered Northeast Greenland shelf and captures entire fluid flow systems from source to sink. Our data documents widespread natural seepage of oil and gas from the seafloor through the water column, locally reaching the sea surface. The released hydrocarbons are sourced from deep petroleum systems and primarily migrate along permeable beds towards the seafloor. Glacial erosion during the Quaternary has effectively removed the sealing units, creating geologic windows that allow widespread natural seepage. Our first-order estimates suggest that minimum 677–1460 Mt of thermogenic gas ( ~ 0.5–1.1 Gt of carbon) has been released into the ocean since grounded ice retreated from the shelf around ~15 ka BP. These findings provide new insight into the impact of active natural seepage in a rapidly changing climate and have substantial implications for the Arctic Ocean’s carbon cycle and marine ecosystems.
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
Awards: G1370158938, G1452408078, G5870927848, "The ""Hidden Architecture"" of Organizations: A Study of Organizational Secrecy", Effect of climate change on greenhouse gas fluxes from marine Artic regions, G8067114483, Blue Carbon production, export and sequestration in emerging polar ecosystems, G857801263
OpenAlex ID: W4416133204