Microbes sealed methane leak in South China Sea in weeks

Research published in "National Science Review" showed that deep-sea microorganisms can respond to methane leaks rapidly — it was previously thought their natural suppression took 60 to 100 years. When an accidental research well in the South China Sea released a powerful plume of greenhouse gas, specialized organisms formed a biological barrier that stopped the leak at record speed. The discovery changes existing models for assessing climate risks from oceanic methane.

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