<div>'Sleeping giant' Arctic methane deposits starting to release, scientists find</div>

Exclusive: expedition discovers new source of greenhouse gas off East Siberian coast has been triggeredScientists have found evidence that frozen methane deposits in the Arctic Ocean – known as the “sleeping giants of the carbon cycle” – have started to be released over a large area of the continental slope off the East Siberian coast, the Guardian can reveal.High levels of the potent greenhouse gas have been detected down to a depth of 350 metres in the Laptev Sea near Russia, prompting concern among researchers that a new climate feedback loop may have been triggered that could accelerate the pace of global heating.Why are methane hydrates considered 'sleeping giants' for the climate? Related: The end of the Arctic as we know it Continue reading...