The Antarctic Ice Sheet could be an overlooked but important source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to research published today in Nature and conducted by an international team led by Professor Jemma Wadham from the University of Bristol's School of Geographical Sciences. The new study demonstrates that old organic matter in sedimentary basins located beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet may have been converted to methane by micro-organisms living under oxygen-deprived conditions. The methane could be released to the atmosphere if the ice sheet shrinks and exposes these old sedimentary basins. Read more
Large volumes of methane - a potent greenhouse gas - could be locked beneath the ice-covered regions of Antarctica, according to a new study. It says this methane could be released into the atmosphere as ice retreats, contributing to climate warming. The findings indicate that ancient deposits of organic matter may have been converted to methane by microbes under the ice. Read more