South China Sea methane leak formed a 1km plume; worms and bacteria built a ‘worm bed’ in 2 years

There is a vast amount of methane trapped beneath the seafloor, across the planet. If it were to be released, the results could be potentially catastrophic for all forms of life. This is why finding out how ecosystems respond to methane leaks is important to ocean scientists. Generally, these investigations take place on purpose in controlled environments. But in 2018, a drilling incident caused a methane leak in the South China Sea. But what scientists including those at the University of Bremen, saw next shocked them more. Over the course of the next six years, in situ monitoring of the situation revealed an incredibly rapid response from the ecosystem. Within two years, the bacteria and worms had established a methane-munching 'worm bed' as per a study published in National Science Review.Oceanic burpsCracks in the sea rocks allow methane to passively leak out into the ocean. But in 2018, gas hydrate exploration in the South China Sea caused a human-made underwater methane leak. They were trying to figure out how much natural gas might exist in marine sediments, so they drilled a 22-centimetre-wide hole in the deep seafloor. Afterwards, they tried to seal the hole with heavy mud...