Scientists onboard a research ship in the Arctic have found methane levels on the surface of the ocean four to eight times higher than expected, and with methane having a warming effect 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide there are concerns that the discovery could have ‘serious climate consequences’. Previous research by the United States Geological Survey has indicated that frozen methane and other gases are one of the four most dangerous routes to abrupt climate change. A post on the Facebook page of the International Siberian Study Shelf said: “This may be the first comprehensive observation of active release from methane hydrates on the Siberian-Arctic slope system. “We believe these emissions at this stage have not yet had any large impact on global atmospheric methane and climate, yet these huge carbon/GHG [greenhouse gas] capacitors are clearly activated.” There has been increased focus on Siberia over the last 12 months, with unprecedented wildfires and temperatures 5C higher than average in the first six months of 2020. The Laptev Sea has also seen a worrying delay to its annual winter freeze. Martin Siegert, co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London said: “If the measurements show an increase then we should be concerned. I suspect the work will provoke greater analysis of the problem and that is probably overdue. “We do need to get a handle on whether this problem is imminent, and at what scale it could release greenhouse gases.”