Nord Stream Pipeline Explosions Released Record Methane Emissions

Nearly 465,000 tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, were released into the atmosphere following the 2022 pipeline blasts, the largest single-event release ever recorded.

The Nord Stream pipeline explosions in September 2022 released an estimated 445,000 to 485,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere, with a median value of 465,000 tons.
This event is the largest documented single-event release of methane caused by human activity, surpassing the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak in California.
Despite the massive release, the emitted methane accounted for only 0.1% of global human-caused methane emissions in 2022, according to studies published in 'Nature' and 'Nature Communications'.
A portion of the methane initially dissolved in the Baltic Sea before eventually entering the atmosphere, with some being oxidized by microorganisms in the water.
The environmental and climatic impacts of the release remain under investigation, though methane is known to be 85 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period.

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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung