Climatic forcing of terrestrial methane escape through permafrost in Svalbard

Hydraulic pingos are widespread in Svalbard and other parts of the Arctic. In these systems, methane can escape sub-permafrost reservoirs via groundwater discharge and is thought to bypass methane sinks. We have studied a methane-emitting hydraulic pingo on the northeast shore of Adventfjorden in Svalbard. This terrestrial methane seep hosts an active methane filter including anaerobic and aerobic methane oxidizers and represents a yet unstudied hotspot for microbial methane mitigation in the arctic.