Gas bubbles create methane hydrate deposits, changing the climate

Gas hydrates are an ice-like substance in which molecules of gas, usually methane, coalesce

into a single structure with frozen water moleculesunder high pressure. These formations are widespread in nature and account for a significant proportion of organic carbon. Probably, in the future, people will learn to extract energy from them - but so far scientists do not fully understand how they form and develop.

In a new study, physicists created a computermodel of gas bubbles that pass through hydrate deposits. This is a common phenomenon, which however does not fit into existing physical theories.

The model made it possible to explain how gas hydratesform massive natural reservoirs - like the one under the Gulf of Mexico. In this reservoir, methane, the strongest greenhouse gas in the gaseous state, freely penetrates through hydrates in the bowels and enters the surface, and then into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Researchers have hypothesized that hydratesarise as a kind of natural barrier between gas and water, which allows the gas to slowly seep into the water. Modeling has shown that methane flowing through the subsurface can accumulate in large hydrate reservoirs, which could have a significant impact on climate change that has not been considered until now - and also be a target for new energy sources in the future.

We believe that this model will become an important tool for future research on the evolution of large, highly concentrated hydrated formations.

Dylan Meyer, lead author of the study

Earlier scientistscountedthat anthropogenic methane emissions were 40% higher than previously thought.