Shrinking glaciers are a new source of methane

A new study found retreating glaciers result in springs containing methane
Methane is a greenhouse gas that is a big contributor to global warming
This natural methane could help increase the rate of Earth's warming

Updated: Jul 9, 2023 / 08:42 AM CDT

FILE – Chunks of ice float on Mendenhall Lake in front of the Mendenhall Glacier on Monday, May 30, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. A study of all of the world’s 215,000 glaciers published on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, finds even if with the unlikely minimum warming of only a few tenths of a degrees more, the world will lose nearly half its glaciers by the end of the century. With the warming we’re now on track to get, the world will lose two-thirds of its glaciers and overall glacier mass will drop by one-third while sea level rises 4.5 inches just from melting glaciers. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

(NewsNation) — New research shows melting glaciers are releasing methane into the atmosphere, potentially fueling climate change.

It happens when glaciers melt and new land is exposed. Groundwater from under the surface bubbles up and many of the springs that form contain methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

A new study examined 123 springs formed by retreating glaciers and found 122 of those contained methane. Previous research had focused on methane released by permafrost that has thawed as the Arctic warms, which also contributes to a warming planet.

Researchers estimated gas released across Svalbard, Norway could reach 2,000 tons per year, which is roughly 10% of emissions caused by Norway’s energy industry.

But it’s not just the volume of methane that concerns researchers. They believe the methane being released is not the result of human activity but natural methane that was created when rocks were formed that has been trapped under the surface of the Earth.

That means there is the potential for a significant increase in emissions as warming continues and more glaciers melt. That could form a feedback loop that would impact global warming significantly, as warmer temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions cause more glaciers to result, releasing more methane and warming the planet further.

The Earth set unofficial heat records three times in the past week in the latest sign of how climate change is impacting the planet.