West Antarctica experienced a significant ice-sheet retreat during LGM, manifested by isostatic rebound, continental uplift, and, potentially, the accumulation of freshwater masses in the subsurface. To reconcile the conflict bottom-up estimates of the global carbon budget, the EDGE project will (1) Asses the potential of large-scale methane release from Antarctic groundwater discharges and (2) explore the possible periodic states of hydrates in Antarctica. These processes lead to self-sustained hydrate layers' cyclic formation and dissolution, independent of external triggers such as anthropogenic warming, sea-level fluctuations, or large-scale planetary cycles.

Methane-to-carbon (M2C) biotransformation may significantly increase the risks of spontaneous gas migration, geomechanical failures, and gas influx into the ocean from supposedly stable systems. The intrinsic processes that couple groundwater discharge from springs formed during glacial retreat, methane dissociation, and biotransformation of CO2 and subsequently to carbon are poorly understood. EDGE aims to gain new insights into these processes that may have a significant role in the global carbon budget.