Home United States USA — IT Nord Stream leaked less methane than feared: atmospheric monitor

Nord Stream leaked less methane than feared: atmospheric monitor

127
0
SHARE

Leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines released some 70,000 metric tons of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, researchers said Wednesday, less than previously thought.
October 5, 2022

Leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines released some 70,000 metric tons of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, researchers said Wednesday, less than previously thought.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, had already been at the center of geopolitical tensions for months as Russia cut back gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Then last week massive gas plumes were spotted in the Baltic Sea above the pipelines in what NATO has said appeared to be an act of sabotage.
Although they were not in operation, they both still contained gas, which spewed up through the water and into the atmosphere.
Researchers from France’s Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission said they were “surprised” that data from monitoring stations across Europe led them to conclude that 70,000 tons of the planet-heating gas methane had been released.
Other estimates, based on the amount of gas thought to be in the pipes and the pressure levels, had led to estimates several times higher, they said.
Scientists have expressed concerns about the climate and environmental impacts of the leaks—which have largely stopped—but stressed that the amounts of methane involved were a tiny fraction of global emissions.

Continue reading...