Climate security

Mysterious 'pocket' of underwater gas could be a huge energy resource or a 'ticking time bomb'

Researchers have discovered an enormous "pocket" of gas trapped underwater that could either be an enormous untapped natural resource or a potential "ticking time bomb" of greenhouse gas emissions.

The problem? Scientists don't know which it is just yet.

The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, reveals a discovery at the bottom of the Okinawa Trough off Japan of perhaps as much as 100 million tons of either methane, which could be used as a potential energy source, or carbon dioxide, which LiveScience described as a "ticking time bomb." It could also be a combination of the two, according to LiveScience.

"While many people focus on greenhouse gases made by humans, a huge variety of natural sources also exist," the study's co-author, Takeshi Tsuji, said in a statement. "Large-scale gas reservoirs along a rifting axis may represent another source of greenhouse gases that we need to keep our eyes on. Or, they could turn out to be a significant natural resource."

In an interview with LiveScience, Tsuji said if the unknown gas was all carbon dioxide – and he estimated it to be 50 million tons [45 million metric tons] – it would be on a "similar order to the annual CO2 emissions of all private cars in Japan (about 100 million tons [907 million metric tons] per year)."