Researchers find natural leakage of oil and gas off northeast Greenland coast

A new study has found widespread natural oil and gas seepage from the seafloor of northeast Greenland. The discovery provides the first clear evidence that geologic carbon is leaking naturally from deep reservoirs beneath one of the most remote and ice-covered parts of the Arctic Ocean. 

The research team, which included Frank Jakobsen and Monica Winsborrow from the iC3 Polar Research Hub in Tromsø, has major implications for how scientists understand the Arctic carbon cycle and its sensitivity to climate change.

Picture: Frank Jakobsen taking samples. Credit: Daniel Albert (SINTEF).

The researchers found that large quantities of oil and gas are escaping through the seabed, moving upwards from deep petroleum systems through cracks and faults in the rock. In some areas, the hydrocarbons even reach the ocean surface and create oil slicks that could be detected from space. 

Geological activity beneath the frozen seas

The team examined a region stretching more than 800 kilometres along Greenland’s northeast coast. This shelf area, up to 350 kilometres wide, was long suspected to contain major oil and gas reserves. However, until now, there had been no direct evidence that these vast stores of geological carbon were actively escaping into the ocean. 

Using a combination of 120,000 kilometres of industrial seismic data, 164 sediment cores, new multibeam sonar mapping and satellite radar imagery, the researchers identified hundreds of signs of natural seepage across the seabed. 

 Frank commented that:

“It is well known that extensive seepage of natural oil and gas occurs widely across the Barents Sea, but this is the first time it has been shown to also occur offshore northeast Greenland. It shows that deep geological stores of carbon are leaking to the ocean, and potentially atmosphere, across the Arctic.”

Picture: Frank Jakobsen. Credit: Daniel Albert (SINTEF).

Ice and gas are closely linked

The study highlights how the retreat of ice sheets and glacial erosion shaped the modern pattern of seepage. 

During the Ice Age, thick glaciers carved deep troughs across the continental shelf, scraping away the cap rocks that once sealed the petroleum systems. When the ice melted, the removal of this protective layer created what the researchers call “geologic windows”—zones where fluids can now escape freely from depth to the seabed.

The team observed gas plumes, known as “flares”, rising up to 230 metres into the water column, mainly near Store Koldewey Island. These plumes were often found close to the upper boundary of the gas hydrate stability zone, suggesting that methane hydrates—frozen gas trapped in sediments—may also play a role in regulating the seepage.

Monica explained that:

“In some places, the seepage appears to occur right where gas hydrates are starting to melt. This could mean that warming ocean waters are already influencing the stability of these frozen methane reservoirs.”

 Implications for the Arctic and beyond

The discovery raises important questions about how natural hydrocarbon seepage affects the Arctic carbon cycle, marine ecosystems, and future greenhouse gas emissions. 

Most of the methane released from deep water likely dissolves or is consumed by microbes before reaching the atmosphere. However, during ice-free conditions and in shallower areas, a portion could escape to the air, adding to atmospheric methane levels. 

While the study notes that these natural methane emissions are dwarfed by those generated by the oil and gas industry, Monica believes that the team’s discovery may have global implications.

“These seeps could be an overlooked component of the Arctic carbon budget,” said Monica. 

“They remind us that the geological legacy of past glaciations continues to shape the Arctic today—and may influence how this environment responds to future warming.”

“Similar geological carbon reservoirs may also be present beneath today’s Greenland ice sheet. How vulnerable these are to release under projected rapid ice sheet change remains unknown.”

The seepage sites may also create “oases of life beneath the ice”. As in other parts of the Arctic, natural seeps can support unique communities of microbes and animals that thrive on chemical energy from hydrocarbons. Understanding these ecosystems will be a focus of future research.

Picture: RV Kronprins Haakon. Credit: Daniel Albert (SINTEF).

How the team made the discovery

The researchers combined cutting-edge methods from industry and academia:

• Seismic reflection data provided detailed images of subsurface structures, showing the pathways through which fluids migrate.
• Multibeam sonar detected bubble plumes rising through the water column.
• Sediment core analyses confirmed the presence and composition of petroleum-derived hydrocarbons.
• Satellite radar imagery revealed thin oil films at the sea surface, consistent with active seepage below.

Find out more

The paper “Natural hydrocarbon seepage at the Northeast Greenland continental shelf” has been published by Communications Earth & Environment and is available open access. The study team was led by Christoph Böttner from Aarhus University. 

Co-author Frank Jakobsen is a marine geologist with a passion for understanding the complexities of the sea floor and its geological history. Based at the Geological survey of Norway (NGU) he is pursuing his PhD at UiT affiliated with the iC3 Polar Research Hub. Monica Winsborrow is a senior researcher at the Department of Geosciences of UiT The Arctic University of Norway and Assistant Director of iC3. Her work explores the interactions between ice sheets, the cryosphere and subsurface processes that influence carbon fluxes in the polar regions. List of Monica’s publications here.

The research was supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme (GreenFlux and SEA-Quester) and the Research Council of Norway.