In 2018, Chinese geologists accidentally broke through the seabed of the South China Sea, causing methane to leak from a 22-centimeter-diameter well and its bubbles to rise a kilometer towards the surface.
According to scientists' estimates, biological recovery at the crash site would have taken between 60 and 100 years.
But the ocean accomplished this task within a year, after a kind of "living filter" formed above the site of the accident, which helped accelerate the removal of methane. The process began first with bacteria and methanotrophic archaea, microorganisms that feed on methane, and was then joined by tube worms and crustaceans.
The tube worms not only lived near the leak site, but also stirred up the sediment, allowing oxygen and nitrates to be transported to deeper layers, thus accelerating the absorption of the gas many times over. By 2023, the height of the methane plume had decreased from 1,200 meters to 800 meters.
Researchers point out that the North Sea experiences similar incidents, with leaks found in 63% of older platforms and wells. The study's authors emphasize that nature can respond quickly to such events, but relying solely on it remains risky.
Despite the optimistic pace of natural regeneration, the study's authors point to a hidden threat posed by such incidents, as bottom sediments contain enormous stocks of methane, a greenhouse gas with a short-term heat-trapping capacity tens of times greater than carbon dioxide.
The problem of abandoned wells is becoming increasingly acute worldwide. In the North Sea, for example, leaks have been detected in 63% of older platforms and wells, releasing thousands of tons of methane annually. China has drilled more than 80 wells in the South China Sea over the past decade, and the status of many of these remains unclear.
Although methane at depths exceeding 300 meters practically does not reach the atmosphere, as it dissolves completely in water, its concentrated flow can seriously destabilize the deep-sea environment.
Researchers discovered that the biodiversity of microorganisms decreased by more than 30% within a half-kilometer radius of the leaking well. Methane oxidation also depletes oxygen and causes localized acidification of the marine environment.
The results of the study were published in the journal "National Science Review".
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