Scientists Discover New Global Warming Threat: ‘Methane Time Bomb’ Under Arctic Seabed
Scientists have today warned that global warming could rapidly accelerate as millions of tons of methane escape from the arctic seabed. According to preliminary findings, as the Arctic region gets warmer massive deposits of the greenhouse gas - 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide - are rising to the surface.
Orjan Gustafsson of Stockholm University, one of the expedition’s leaders, said in an email from their Russian research ship that, for the first time, the team had discovered an extensive area of methane release so intense that “the methane did not have time to dissolve into the seawater but was rising as methane bubbles to the sea surface.” The team believe that the accelerated release is connected to rising temperatures throughout the Arctic region.
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Gustafsson went on to report that “the conventional thought has been that the permafrost ‘lid’ on the sub-sea sediments on the Siberian shelf should cap and hold the massive reservoirs of shallow methane deposits in place.” However, extensive research across thousands of square miles of the Arctic seabed had revealed growing evidence “that the permafrost lid is starting to get perforated and thus leak methane.”
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Image Credit - Nick_Russill via Flickr on a Creative Commons License
This is not news! The University of Alaska Fairbanks has been studying this for a long time. There may be more carbon in hydrated methane in that region than all the worlds reserves of coal and oil put together according to one study from UAF! I think that is why the Russians are interested in claiming much of the Arctic.
I always love it someone discovers something others have known for years! By the way global warming has been going on since the last ice age, long before Al Gore discovered it and long before internal combustion engines.
responder #1, you’d be more credible if your link wasn’t called “right talk.”
I suggest you find more credible sources rather than conservative blog websites. Let’s face it, the main reason why conservatives don’t believe in climate change is because they think it’s a liberal pet peeve.
why not find a way to burn it off instead of it releasing into the atmosphere? pipe it out and burn it off…
Are there just too many people on this planet? Couldn’t anyone anywhere have thought that his or her genetic code was dysfunctional, especially when the primary intent was the survival of its identity?
I aggree with Bobby’s comment. Isn’t there a way for us to capture the gas and use as combustible fuels. With the advancement of our technology we should have the resources to accomplish that task. In matter of fact with all the bad news throughout the world we need some good news.
one of the problems I have with (supposed) “global warming” is … that unless salt water ice expands as an iceberg melts (thus reportedly raising ocean levels), wouldn’t that same logic demand that a glass of ice water will eventually overflow as the cubes melt?
using methane as an alternative fuel is not as great as it sounds because the bi-product from it will increase the temperature of the earths atmosphere 20* faster than CO2.
Why not use it !!!!!
Responder: Thank you for posting that link. There are so many that don’t buy into what the media/politicians proselytize to us plebs and I, for one, haven’t bought the Global Warming scare…in fact, I’m old enough to remember the Global Freeze scare. HA
will there be a domino effect afer the release of these gases as it will add to further rise in the global temperature? People need to be educated further with the use of consumable and noncosumable goods releasing harmful gases and companies still manufacturing these products should be recalled. Here in the tropics, rise in the sea level is beginning to be felt.