The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 not only compound geopolitical tensions but also unleash an unprecedented environmental event , releasing the largest commemorate amount of methane from a individual homo - caused incident – 465,000 metrical lots – into the standard atmosphere and surround pee , according to three new studies .
The Nord Stream pipeline , which enthral natural gaseous state from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea , were hard damage in September 2022 . An underwater explosionripped apart the NS1 and NS2 pipesnear the island of Bornholm in Denmark , causing a flurry of gun to arise to the sea Earth’s surface .
The culprit behind the attack has n’t been identify , although it has been yoke to the wider fallout of the Russia - Ukraine war . In 2024 , Germany reportedly issue anarrest warrantfor a Ukrainian national in connection with the result , but the Ukrainian government activity hasdeniedany involvement .
Map over the maximum concentration of methane in the southern Baltic.Image credit: Martin Mohrmann/VOTO
The Voice of the Ocean Foundation quickly deployed an underwater drone ( cognise as a sailplane ) to a region just outside the exclusion zone of the outflow . It continued to supervise the situation for three months after the burst , and observed the extent of dissolved methane in the surrounding water system .
“ To get the most full-bodied estimation , we mix observations from the gliders with airfoil observations collected by our confrere at the German research institute IOW from a ferry . It was gratifying to see how well it matched the results from University of Gothenburg ’s inquiry vessel ’s despatch to the Nord Stream leak area too , ” Bastien Queste , an oceanographer at the University of Gothenburg , said in astatement .
“ All this together make us feel convinced that we have a really good picture of how the methane spread in the Baltic Sea , both across time and blank , ” said Queste .
Much of the flatulence ended up in Earth ’s aura , although a substantial measure was plunge into the sea . In the initial wake of the explosion , dissolved methane degree in the water supply were sometimes 1,000 times above usual . Overall , 14 percentage of the Baltic Sea see concentrations ofmethaneat least five times greater than average innate spirit level .
Researchers also get that sea electric current transported the dissolved methane to 23 marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea . However , the impact on the skirt devil dog ecosystem is n’t cleared yet , not least because an issue of this scale has never been hear before .
“ The honorable answer is that we do n’t lie with about the foresightful - term ecosystem effects of the increase methane denseness . as luck would have it , methane is not very toxic , but there has been no previous event of this scale . Even though lowly concentrations of methane are not harmful , it is not yet readable what mellow concentrations over a longsighted meter can do , ” Martin Mohrmann , a investigator at Voice of the Ocean , told IFLScience .
According to the researcher , one thing is light : the safety of submersed gas pipeline must be re - evaluated , particularly in today ’s more and more uncertain world where unusual events like this arebecoming all the more probable .
“ I believe that the hazard assessment for gas pipeline like the Nord Stream pipelines have to be reevaluated . The Nord Stream risk of exposure judgement ( 2009 ) state that the probability of a gasoline escape valve would be about one event in 20,000 year , and that the solubility of natural gas in weewee is negligible . Both are now questionable , ” summate Mohrmann .
The three new discipline were published in the journal Nature ( here ) , as well as Nature Communications ( hereandhere ) .
