Hundreds of methane plumes have been found along the East Coast

During a sweeping survey of the United States Atlantic Coast, it was discovered that hundreds of gas plumes are currently bubbling up from the sea floor. While ocean explorers have yet to test the gas, the bubbles are almost certainly methane, according to research report that was published yesterday. “We don’t know of any explanation that fits as well as methane,” said lead study author Adam Skarke, a geologist at Mississippi State University.

Between Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and Georges Bank in Massachusetts, around 570 methane seeps are clustered in eight regions, according to sonar and video that was gathered by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ship Okeanos Explorer between 2011 and 2013. Most of the seeps are on the continental slope break, where the seafloor angles down toward the Atlantic Ocean basin.

Using sound waves, the Okeanos Explorer was able to map the sea floor and detect the methane bubbles. The technique is called “multibeam sonar”, and calculates the distance it takes for sound waves to travel from the ship and then bounce off of the seafloor back towards the ship. The sonar is also capable of detecting the density contrast between gas bubbles and regular seawater.

The vast majority of the methane seeps are in water that is less than 1,640 feet deep. Most of these methane seeps appear to arise from microbes spewing out methane, accord to the researchers. However, the researchers did find some methane vents that were located in deeper waters, at which the ROV Jason glimpsed patches of methane hydrate. This is the icy mix of methane and water that appears when deep ocean pressures and cold temperatures force methane to solidify.

“It was a surprise to find these features,” Skarke said. “It was unexpected because many of the common things associated with methane gas do not exist on the Atlantic margin.”

Read more about the story at Nature.

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