A series of underwater explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in 2022 led to the largest methane leak ever recorded in a single incident, according to new research into the Nord Stream incident released on January 15.
In a new study, scientists estimate that the rupture of a major pipeline transporting Russian gas to Europe released about 465,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere, much higher than previous estimates.
The cause of the Nord Stream explosion that occurred in September 2022 remains unclear, although Russia and Ukraine blame each other for this incident as well as other attacks on energy infrastructure.
Three new studies on the Nord Stream explosion, one in the journal Nature and two in the journal Nature Communications, say the potential environmental and climate impacts of the Nord Stream explosion remain unclear.
But the Nord Stream leak "is the largest recorded release of methane from a single transient event," researcher Stephen Harris and colleagues wrote in the journal Nature.
It is worth noting that the amount of gas released in the Nord Stream explosion is equivalent to 0.1% of the methane emitted by humans in 2022.
“Despite its size, the Nord Stream explosion only produced methane emissions equivalent to two days of global oil and gas emissions. There is a huge opportunity to tackle this pollution,” said Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) of the United Nations Environment Programme, which supported the study.
After explosions under the Baltic Sea damaged the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, gas began bubbling at four rupture points, forming giant foam patches on the surface.
Initial estimates of Nord Stream's leaked emissions ranged from 70,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes.
In the study published in the journal Nature, scientists used atmospheric data, satellite imagery, ocean observations and airborne measurements to model how much methane could escape from the ocean.
The Nord Stream leak "far exceeds" any other similar leak and is equivalent to 30% of Germany's annual methane emissions, said Friedemann Reum, an expert from the German Aerospace Center, in an article in the journal Nature Communications.
Another paper in Nature Communications also looked at the impact of the leak on protected marine areas in the Baltic.
Expert Martin Mohrmann from the Swedish Ocean Voice Foundation and colleagues said that 14% of the Baltic region has methane concentrations five times higher than average.
More than 150 countries have signed up to pledges to cut methane emissions, but atmospheric concentrations of the potent greenhouse gas are still set to hit a record high in 2024. The International Energy Agency notes that every day, conventional oil and gas operations around the world emit as much methane as the Nord Stream explosion.
