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.
- » See also: Revenge of the Angry Mermaid
- » Get Sustainablog by RSS or sign up by email.
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.”
Other Posts on Climate Change:
- Compex Systems Theory and Climate Change: Huh?
- Low Impact Living: What’s Your Nitrogen Footprint?
- Civilized Communication Abour Global Warming, Energy, Environment and Stuff; Naysayers, I’m Open For Persuasion
- Real Security After 9/11
- Painting Rooftops White Would Slow Global Warming
Image Credit - Nick_Russill via Flickr on a Creative Commons License
Can’t take it no more. I am sooooo sick and tired of world planners, politicians, and scientists lying to the general public about global warming in order to carry out their “secret” agenda.
You may have most of the people fooled, but then there is people like me who is aware of your diabolical scheme.
Maybe the leaking methane is contributing to global warming and not us?
I watched some of the “rightalk”. Thanks for the link. It is all just frustrating. I’m sure each side, or the many sides, have their own agenda(s). There has to be so many facets of truth and non truths, with some trying to prove their theories, causing panic, etc.. Who do we believe anymore?
so harness it! Get some sort of gas collector like they have for cows and make cars that run on liquid methane or something like that. Solve the energy crisis. Stop worrying and start doing.
In my opinion, this article just goes to show that the Global Warming issue is much more complex than Al Gore and his cronies of misinformation, alarmism, and deliberate deception would have us believe. Remember the “Hole In The Ozone” deception they used to get everyone to sign on to the Rio Accords and ban CFC’s?
Warming and cooling trends have been going on for millions of years before humans ever stood upright and will continue long after humans are extinct. They are more a product of volcanic activity or lack thereof than anything else that humans have done or failed to do.
I am wondering about this global warming stuff how could the methane deposits in the artic sea affect the whole world and what affect would it have on earth?… thats my curiousty question, now i just have an opinion Global Warmming, big deal so what the world has been going through this for a long long time. dont u people know nothing last forever including earth life exsist here on earth but just as in everyday life, ad lives come to a end all over the world eventually so will the earth its not in our hands or power to save it God created it, God shall taketh away. and whats the whole deal with space travel? what does everyone get out of it, nothing we just get to pay taxes and buy them new space crafts and fuels to fly out there in space, why? who cares do they think if earth dies or is destroyed that we are all just going to happily fly in to space on another planet and live there, no it dont work that way when its all over with its done no more nothing all existence shall be gone, even their space crafts,.
Bobby, sounds more like a conspiracy theory…. Come on Russia? Thats like saying were jacking up oil prices so that we can fund research teams to find alternative ways of gas and energy.
Isn’t this just typical of the rigorous science applied by the green lobby… I quote: “The team believe that the accelerated release is connected to rising temperatures throughout the Arctic region.” Who are these people? Who funds them ? What leads them to the grand conclusion that “global warming” is the cause of methane release ? Who’s validated their conclusions?
Typical bunk. The garbage science is only matched by the “sustainablog’s” garbage journalism. Pathetic.
Ideally the methane reserves should be tapped and utilised commercially. The CO2 generated will be less potent as a greenhouse gas and the energy supplied will help ease the burden caused by the high oil prices.
So what does this mean?