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The Ocean Floor Is Spewing Methane Due to Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells
Pipes for the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline are stored on the premises of the Mukran Port near Sassnitz, Pomerania, in Germany on December 4, 2020.
Stefan Sauer / picture alliance via Getty Images
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Out on the deck of a research boat, Tara Yacovitch looked out to the water. In the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, the seascape is peppered with lights. And every light is part of an offshore oil or gas platform.
Offshore platforms can vary greatly in size some are as big as multi-storied buildings, while others resemble small but very tall rooms. The boat carrying Yacovitch and her team also housed a variety of science equipment: methane isotope readers, spectrometers, and other tools to measure methane levels in the air around these sites.