Glacial Fracking Identified as Undetected Arctic Methane Source

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 20, 2025
Researchers Gabrielle Kleber and Leonard Magerl from the Centre for Ice, Cryosphere, Carbon and Climate (iC3) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway have revealed a previously unidentified source of Arctic methane emissions. Their findings indicate that melting glaciers in the Arctic are releasing substantial amounts of methane into the atmosphere, a process that could exacerbate climate change.

Their study, focused on Vallakrabreen, a valley glacier in central Svalbard, found that glacial melt rivers and groundwater springs are transporting methane from beneath the ice. This methane, originating from deep geological formations rather than microbial activity, had concentrations in meltwater as much as 800 times higher than atmospheric equilibrium levels. At the peak of the melt season, methane concentrations reached 3,170 nanomolar.

"We expected to detect some methane in the meltwater, but the levels we measured were unexpectedly high," said Kleber. "Our isotopic analysis confirmed that this methane has a geological origin, released as the glacier recedes and meltwater flushes through rock fractures."

Natural 'Glacial Fracking' Fuels Emissions

By tracking methane levels throughout the melt season, the researchers estimated that Vallakrabreen's melt river alone emitted approximately 616 kg of methane into the atmosphere between June and October. This accounted for 63% of the glacier catchment's total methane emissions, with additional contributions from groundwater springs and gas vents.

"Glaciers function like vast lids that trap methane underground," explained Magerl. "As they melt, water seeps through cracks in the bedrock, transporting the gas to the surface. This natural process resembles hydraulic fracturing, which we have termed 'glacial fracking'."

Their findings suggest that similar emissions could be widespread across Svalbard, where over 1,400 land-terminating glaciers lie atop methane-rich bedrock. If the same mechanism is occurring elsewhere, glacial methane emissions may represent a significant and previously overlooked Arctic greenhouse gas source.

A New Climate Feedback Mechanism

The implications of these emissions extend beyond Svalbard. With Arctic temperatures rising at four times the global average, glacier retreat is accelerating, potentially releasing more methane and reinforcing a feedback loop-where warming leads to glacial melting, methane release, and further atmospheric heating.

"Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in the short term," warned Kleber. "Even though these emissions are seasonal, their cumulative impact could be substantial as more glaciers shrink."

Urgent Need for Further Research

The discovery underscores the need to reassess Arctic methane budgets, integrating glacial emissions alongside permafrost thaw and wetland methane sources. While this is the first documented case of methane release from a glacial melt river in Svalbard, researchers at iC3 plan to expand their studies to other glacial systems and develop methodologies to quantify these emissions on a larger scale.

Research Report:Proglacial methane emissions driven by meltwater and groundwater flushing in a high-Arctic glacial catchment