Ships trigger seafloor methane emissions while moving through shallow water, researchers report in Communications Earth & Environment.

The scientists say the unexpected discovery has nothing to do with the type of fuel used by the ship. Instead, “ship-induced pressure changes and turbulent mixing” trigger the release of the gas from the seafloor.

Bubbles and gas diffusion push the methane into the atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas.

Scientists had noticed unexpected methane emissions in the Baltic Sea’s Neva Bay shipping lane while conducting other research, the researchers say in a “Behind the Paper” article for Springer Nature Research Communities.

— The Washington Post