Methane leak in South China Sea spawned thriving worm-bacteria ecosystem within 2 years
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·1 viewsA drilling incident in the South China Sea in 2018 triggered a significant underwater methane leak, forming a plume nearly one kilometre high. Marine scientists monitored how the local ecosystem responded to the sudden release of gas. Within two years, bacteria and worms had colonised the site, creating a natural biofilter that consumed the methane and substantially reduced the plume. While the newly formed 'worm bed' proved effective at breaking down the gas, researchers noted that the rapid ecological shift came at a cost — a marked decline in the area's original microbial diversity.
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