South China Sea methane leak formed a 1km plume; worms and bacteria built a ‘worm bed’ in 2 years
A South China Sea drilling incident caused a significant methane leak in 2018.
Ocean scientists observed an ecosystem rapidly responding to the underwater gas release.
Bacteria and worms quickly formed a methane-munching 'worm bed' within two years.
This new biofilter degraded methane effectively, reducing plume height significantly.
However, this rapid ecosystem development caused a notable decrease in original microbial diversity.
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