Vast amounts of methane hydrates are stored in sediments along
the continental margins. Their stability is due to the low
temperature–high-pressure conditions found on the seafloor.
Global warming could destabilize these hydrates and cause a
release of methane (CH4) into the water column and possibly the
atmosphere. Seafloor Warming and Methane Releases in the Arctic
Ocean Since the Arctic has and will be warmed considerably,
Arctic bottom water temperatures and their future evolution
projected by a climate model were analyzed in a joint modeling
effort by a group of physical and biological oceanographers,
geologists, geochemists, and atmospheric scientists from the
Cluster (A2). The seafloor warming was found to be spatially
inhomogeneous, with the strongest impact on shallow regions
affected by Atlantic inflow (see Fig.). Within the next 100
years, the warming will affect 25 % of shallow and mid-depth
regions containing methane hydrates. Release of methane from
melting hydrates in these areas could enhance