Which of the following statements are correct about the deposits of ‘methane hydrate’?
- 1.Global warming might trigger the release of methane gas from these deposits.
- 2.Large deposits of ‘methane hydrate’ are found in Arctic Tundra and under the seafloor.
- 3.Methane in atmosphere oxidizes to carbon dioxide after a decade or two.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three statements are correct. Methane hydrate is an ice-like solid holding methane, found in Arctic permafrost and in sea-floor sediments; it releases methane when it warms, and methane that reaches the air lasts about a decade before it is oxidised to carbon dioxide.
- ✓ 1. Methane hydrate is stable only at low temperature and high pressure. Warming makes the hydrate release its methane, which is why global warming could trigger releases.
- ✓ 2. Gas hydrates occur in huge quantities in marine sediments just below the sea floor and in association with permafrost in the Arctic.
- ✓ 3. Methane is short-lived in the air: it lasts about a decade on average (IPCC AR6 gives 11.8 years). It is broken down by oxidation, ending as carbon dioxide and water.
Remember · Methane hydrate = methane locked in ice-like crystals under permafrost and seabed. Warming can release it; airborne methane lasts about 12 years and then oxidises to CO2.
Sources
- US Geological Survey: Where are gas hydrates found? (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “it exists in huge quantities in marine sediments in a layer several hundred meters thick directly below the sea floor and in association with permafrost in the Arctic.”
- US Geological Survey: What are gas hydrates? (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “Gas hydrate is sometimes called “the ice that burns” because the warming hydrates release enough methane to sustain a flame.”
- US EPA: Understanding Global Warming Potentials ↗ “CH 4 emitted today lasts about a decade on average, which is much less time than CO 2 .”
- IPCC AR6 Working Group I, Chapter 7: lifetime of methane (Table 7.15) ↗ “Species Lifetime (Years) Radiative Efficiency (W m –2 ppb –1 ) GWP-20 GWP-100 GWP-500 GTP-50 GTP-100 CGTP-50 (years) CGTP-100 (years) CO 2 Multiple 1.33 ± 0.16 ×10 –5 1. 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 CH 4 -fossil 11.8 ± 1.8”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·