An absurd amount of methane is leaking from the ocean floor

Methane seeps may have been active for as long as 1,000 years

One of the toughest topics for climate change scientists to predict is the effect of methane gas stored within Earth, and the effect it could have on the atmosphere if released. It looks like they now have ample opportunities to test their theories, as scientists have discovered over 500 locations along the east coast where methane gas is emanating from the ocean floor.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Geoscience, with the story reported by the New York Times.

Stretching from Cape Hatteras north to Massachusetts, the seeps are said to release an insignificant amount of gas as compared to all sources world wide, with gas from the deepest seeps not even reaching the atmosphere. The scientists say they’ve found evidence that gas has been seeping out for over 1,000 years.

For climate change scientists, who are concerned about the potential effects of huge stores of methane gas beneath Earth’s surface, this long expanse of seeps should provide a wealth of knowledge.

“It highlights a really key area where we can test some of the more radical hypotheses about climate change,” said John Kessler, a professor at the University of Rochester who was not involved in the research.

What’s odd about these seeps is that they’re located along the Atlantic margin, the region where the shelf meets the deeper oceanic crust – a typically quiet area, tectonically speaking. Most methane seeps occur in areas with higher tectonic activity, like fault lines.

Though it’s possible the methane is stored in large reserves (at least in the case of the deepest seeps), most seeps were found at depths ranging from 800 to 2,000 feet. At those depths, they believe the methane is trapped in tiny ice cages called hydrates. The hydrates at those depths are incredibly sensitive, and even the slightest change in temperature may be enough to release the gasses.

Scientists say that because this part of the Atlantic so so tectonically stable, it should provide a valuable platform for studying the connection between methane gas and long-term climate change.