A study carried out in Norway suggests that accumulations of natural gas trapped deep in the permafrost are far more common than previously thought. It is precisely these drilling wells that the authors of this research have scrutinized, in order to map Svalbard's permafrost and identify accumulations of gas in the permafrost. The researchers warn that these gas accumulations are proving to be "an unexpectedly frequent finding." "The gas, combined with the relatively young permafrost age, is evidence of ongoing gas migration throughout Svalbard," the researchers write in the study. This research shows that, under the effect of rising atmospheric temperatures, methane hydrate is also likely to dissolve and "migrate" tens of kilometers.

Source: Forbes December 16, 2023 11:55 UTC