“A good picture of the affected areas”

According to a current report in Science Daily, large methane leaves of damaged gas pipelines have contaminated large sections of the Baltic Sea.

What happens?

New research from the University of Gothenburg discover methane from the destroyed north stream pipelines that spread over a large part of the southern Baltic Sea. Using underwater robots and surveillance devices, scientists found metha barriers up to 1,000 times above the normal value, which existed for months. The contamination reached 23 navy protected areas that are crucial for fishing facilities and coastal economies.

“Together with the marine modeling of the southern Baltic Sea, our gliders gave us a good picture of the areas affected by the spill. Overall, we estimate that more than 14% of the entire Baltic Sea were exposed to metha briefs that were at least five times above the normal above the normal value,” said researcher Martin Mohrmann.

Why are methane leaks important?

The North Stream explosions show how endangered the communities for the aging gas infrastructure. The leak affected water on which the local fishing industries rely on, and may harm their livelihood and their economies. If the decisive sea environments are damaged by methane pollution, this creates wave effects by coastal economies that depend on healthy seas.

The problem also undermines the efforts to move away from dirty fuels, since methane leaks counteract the progress in reducing pollution gases that damage our environment.

What is done with methane leaks and risks?

Some regions take proactive steps to fix the aging gas infrastructure. Several US states have introduced programs to identify and repair methane leaks from old pipelines. Many coastal communities urge the stricter monitoring of underwater gas pipes.

The most effective solution is to accelerate the relocation to renewable energies, since solar and wind power do not bring these risks of catastrophic leaks. Cities, including Copenhagen, Denmark, have shown that it is possible to quickly carry out a dirty fuel infrastructure and at the same time create new jobs for clean energy. The support of these transitions helps to protect both the local economy and the environment from disasters and at the same time create more resistant and sustainable communities for the coming generations.

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