Monster volcano Katla is one of Iceland’s largest burning mountains and scientist have now discovered methane from a connected glacier. The study, published in Scientific Reports, showd Sólheimajökull glacier has released 41 tonnes of the greenhouse gas every day over the summer. This is the first time methane released from glaciers at such large scale have been found.
Study author Peter Wynn, from the University of Lancaster, told Newsweek: “At the moment, this large quantity of methane has only been observed to be released from Sólhiemajökull glacier in Iceland.
“However, where glaciers and volcanoes interact together in similar fashion elsewhere in the world, there is every possibility methane could also be released there too.
“There is increasing evidence for large zones of geothermal activity beneath the world’s biggest ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, so there could be a large amount of methane being produced there.”
The team behind the study discovered the methane when they collected water samples from the edge of the lake in front of the Sólheimajökull glacier.
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Comparing it to nearby rivers, they uncovered the levels were far higher than usual.
Methane is a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide and a high concentration of the gas could potentially displace oxygen in the air.
And if less oxygen is available to breathe, symptoms such as rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, clumsiness, emotional upsets and fatigue could be the result.
The discovery is thought to be a consequence of climate change.
In Arctic regions, methane is locked up in permafrost—ground that is permanently frozen.
But as temperatures continue to rise, the soil thaws and methane is released, contributing to further warming.
Mr Wynn said: “Increasing evidence for large geothermal areas beneath these ice sheets suggests methane production could be extensive.
“If these geothermal systems are hydrologically connected, the release of this methane could be on a much greater scale than observed even at Sólhiemajökull.”
If global warming continues, the scientist warns the result could be catastrophic.
Mr Wynn continued: “If warming continues, several things could happen. The increased amount of meltwater produced in a warming world will access the bed of the glacier.
“This may encourage greater connectivity with volcanic and geothermal areas buried beneath the ice. A hydrologically connected geothermal area means the methane can escape to the atmosphere rather than being trapped beneath the ice.
“[Another consequence could be that] as ice thins, this releases pressure on volcanic and geothermal systems beneath, and will likely drive an increase in eruptive activity and heat fluxes.
“This in turn will encourage more methane generation at the bed of the glacier. However, the whole process may also be self-limiting as without the ice, the conditions for methane production are removed.”