Under the high pressure of these cold depths, water molecules link into crystalline lattices that trap methane molecules.

Here, we learn why elderly boulders, ocean sediment, snow and trapped methane might hold the key to the survival of the planet.

More interestingly, the burps could be the release of trapped methane produced by microbes that lived millions of years ago.

Chance of avoiding fi ve degrees of global warming: negligible if the rise reaches four degrees and releases trapped methane from the sea bed.

As permafrost temperature increases, permeability also increases, allowing once trapped methane gas to move vertically and escape.