Methane exchange in artificial hydrate could impact global climate change.
The scientists studied how methane moves between solid and gas forms in artificial methane hydrate. They made samples with different types of methane and measured their carbon isotopes. After a few weeks, they found that the methane in the solid form had a different isotope than when it started, while the gas form had a different isotope too. This shows that methane can switch between solid and gas forms over a few weeks.