Nord Stream pipelines cross the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany and are Europe’s main sources of gas. Yesterday, four leaks were recorded on the device: two in the Swedish exclusive economic zone and two in the Danish economic zone. Some governments called the actions “deliberate” and “sabotage”, pointing to Russia waging war in Ukraine and halting gas supplies to Europe.

But beyond the political conflict, there is an imminent danger: These leaks, reaching 900 meters in diameter, created the largest methane bubbling zone in history. This steaming pool in the middle of the Baltic Sea threatens to cause an environmental disaster.

“Invisible tar” leak. The German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has warned of the environmental damage these leaks will cause. Gas has escaped due to ruptures and pressure levels in the cylinder immediately drop to zero until it is completely empty. It is estimated that 115,000 tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 84 times more polluting than carbon dioxide, have already been discharged. When the gas expands, it causes bubbles and even glass, a phenomenon known as “invisible tar” is formed.

impossible to control. There are doubts among experts as to whether the two gas pipelines have safety valves to isolate the leak, but the German Federal Environment Agency said there was no such thing: “There is no containment mechanism in the pipes, so everything is likely to escape,” they explained. In fact, the spokesperson for the Swedish coast guard says it is not currently possible to combat or limit the spill.

At the very least, an explosion in the area is unlikely due to leakage due to the very cold water in the area and the expansion of the gas. And no harm is expected to marine biodiversity.

hard to detect. No leak of this magnitude has ever been detected in the sea. In fact, Luis Guanter, Director of Terrestrial and Atmospheric Remote Sensing at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, explains in this report of EL PAÍS that detecting the leak with satellites is extremely complex: “First, it takes place on a water surface. practically not reflective; secondly, frequent clouds in the region do not allow solar radiation to pass to the emission source or from it to the satellite” .

Great environmental impact. The biggest problem is that the pipes already contain a compressed gas that expands rapidly and dilutes in the ocean, releasing most of it into the atmosphere. Scientist David McCabe, an expert at the Clean Air Task organization, commented to Bloomberg that 20 years from now “one tonne of methane gas has a climate impact 80 times greater than carbon dioxide”; “very worrying”.

Others make more apocalyptic comparisons, as those currently emitted are equivalent to the emissions of two million cars over the course of a year. Or 3% of all greenhouse gases emitted by Spain in a year will be in the atmosphere.

Who takes care of clutter? It’s a mystery. Every European country is responsible for its emissions to the UN and the EU, and in this way, it reports all the gases they export to the organizations. Now, who will be responsible for this 7.5 million tons of CO2 is in a dilemma. Germany was the main buyer of gas circulating in gas pipelines. However, the Federal Environment Agency has already said it will not suffer the climate consequences: “As at least one of the leaks is on Danish soil, emissions will likely be attributed to Denmark.”

Image: GTRES