NOVO-OGAREVO, December 3. /TASS/. The Eastern Arctic's marine shelf is the main source of methane emissions in the Northern Hemisphere, junior researcher at the Sirius University, Tatyana Polivanova, said during Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with participants in the 4th Congress of Young Scientists.

"Our scientific group has come to the conclusion that the Eastern Arctic seas shelf is the main source of natural methane in the atmosphere throughout the Northern Hemisphere," she said. "The perennial permafrost on the shelf has been melting."

The Arctic is getting warmer many times faster than other areas of the world, she continued. This is due to the fact that the Eastern Arctic seas shelf contains 80% of the underwater permafrost, which has been degrading actively over recent 30 years.

"We will conduct similar research in the Black Sea area. The recent expedition continued the series of measurements that we have made in the Arctic seas, and on the Black Sea we still have relatively little data. I really hope that together with colleagues we will have an expedition to the Black Sea in 2025 to collect new interesting data," she added.

The 4th Congress of Young Scientists ran in the Sirius Federal Territory on November 27-29. The organizers say it as the largest platform for dialogue between advanced and fundamental science, government and the real economy. In 2024, over 7,000 people from 40 countries attended the event. A forum of young scientists from the BRICS countries and a competition among young innovators from the BRICS countries were held during the congress. TASS is the congress' information partner.