Arctic methane is being released into the atmosphere, scientists claim - Daily Mail

Ancient reserves of the greenhouse gas methane trapped in ice for millions of years in the Arctic Ocean are being released into the atmosphere, researchers claim.

A research team on a boat in the ocean has spotted bubbles of the potent gas, which has a warming effect 80 times greater than carbon dioxide over 20 years, being released (pictured).

In a Facebook post from last week, the team from the International Siberian Study Shelf Expedition say: 'This may be the first comprehensive observation of active release from methane hydrates on the Siberian-Arctic slope system.

The researchers found the methane leak in a remote corner of the Arctic Ocean near Russia while onboard the research vessel R/V Akademik Keldysh.

A methane leak was identified coming out of the Antarctic seabed in July, causing alarm among climate scientists and conservationists.  .

It is thought ancient algae deposits are the original source of the methane which are trapped under sediments.  

And while the team of researchers 'believe they are the first to observationally confirm the methane release is already under way', according to The Guardian report, other scientists have dispelled such claims. 

The researchers found the methane leak in a remote corner of the Arctic Ocean near Siberia while onboard the research vessel R/V Akademik Keldysh

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