Methane seeps from Arctic sea-bed

news.bbc.co.uk...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/88c74ba053ed.jpg[/atsimg]

Scientists say they have evidence that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is escaping from the Arctic sea-bed.

Researchers say this could be evidence of a predicted positive feedback effect of climate change.

As temperatures rise, the sea-bed grows warmer and frozen water crystals in the sediment break down, allowing methane trapped inside them to escape.

The research team found that more than 250 plumes of methane bubbles are rising from the sea-bed off Norway.

No comments from me. Just some news I thought important and wanted to share I am not even convinced that global warming is man made. No, I do not deny it.

Another link :

www.newscientist.com...

The release of massive clouds of methane from icy hydrates buried under shallow ocean floors is the leading suspect for the most devastating extinction in the fossil record, according to a new analysis.

[edit on 25-8-2009 by pai mei]

reply to post by pai mei


BBC Haegelian Dialectics at work. The methane is produced by volcanic action and has been going on forever.

This is very interesting. Methane hydrates are extremely unstable and the slightest temperature increase can release them. I'm sure that minor fluctuations from natural temperature cycles have this phenomenon occurring around the global constantly and always have had.

On a semi-unrelated but Cliff Claven-ish kind of note - this is one of the theories to the losses of ships in the Bermuda Triangle...larger-scale releases of methane from the sea floor that causes a localized but significant decrease in buoyancy - i.e. the ships just instantly sink when they hit the "bubble".

[edit on 8-25-2009 by Valhall]

reply to post by pai mei
I'm thinking that's not good; so, do we all drown now or something?

reply to post by Nineteen


Volcanic activity off the sea of norway? Didn't know scandinavia was tectonichally active? There are methane deposits all over the planet, and it truly can set of a runaway effect - Same with the sibirian tundra and bogs.

I wish we could end the debate as to wether or not it's man made, and start focusing on what to do about it. The weather wont be getting more pleasant anywhere on the globe.

I think the largest source of methane on the planet is taco bell

you know what i mean

lols

reply to post by K-Raz


The Arctic floor is hugely volcanic.

reply to post by K-Raz


6.0
Date-Time

* Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 06:35:04 UTC
* Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 06:35:04 AM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 72.218°N, 0.968°E
Depth 6 km (3.7 miles) set by location program
Region NORWEGIAN SEA
Distances 715 km (445 miles) WNW of Tromso, Norway

From the USGS earthquake site.

The mid-Atlantic ridge is, essentially, one humongus volcanic vent. Iceland is split by this structure, with much volcanic activity.

Whether or not climate change is a result of man's doing, the best that "we" can do is adapt.
Climate fluctuates cold to warm, and warm to cold, over time. Whatever effects man has created is not going to be undone within the lifetime of anyone reading this post. Doubtful an effective weather machine will ever be developed. Adaptation is our best chance for survival.

Originally posted by pai mei
news.bbc.co.uk...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/88c74ba053ed.jpg[/atsimg]

Scientists say they have evidence that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is escaping from the Arctic sea-bed.

Researchers say this could be evidence of a predicted positive feedback effect of climate change.

As temperatures rise, the sea-bed grows warmer and frozen water crystals in the sediment break down, allowing methane trapped inside them to escape.

The research team found that more than 250 plumes of methane bubbles are rising from the sea-bed off Norway.

No comments from me. Just some news I thought important and wanted to share

I am not even convinced that global warming is man made. No, I do not deny it.

Another link :

www.newscientist.com...

The release of massive clouds of methane from icy hydrates buried under shallow ocean floors is the leading suspect for the most devastating extinction in the fossil record, according to a new analysis.

Hi, do you know that I posted this topic in my thread 2 weeks earlier.
Methane Hydrate: Hey guys ... there is something ...
Otherwise, everything is fine.

[edit on 12/08/09 by Durabys]

[edit on 12/08/09 by Durabys]

[edit on 12/08/09 by Durabys]

reply to post by Durabys

No
Used search, first 2 results did not fit, so I posted it

There are billions and billions of tons of methane locked up in the frozen muds of arctic permafrost. These desposits have nothing to due with vulcanism.

There are large deposits of methane on the seafloor in a form as people have mentioned of methane hydrates.

These deposits will have a major effect of global temperatures if they are released.


Methane is released in volcanoes but in small amounts, volcanic gasses are mostly watervapor and hydrogen and sulfur compounds.

reply to post by K-Raz


Study finds Arctic seabed afire with lava-spewing volcanoes

instead of fearing the stuff, projects should have been launched in order to harvest what is inevitably going to be released anyway. but no, it's planetary sunshades, sulfuric acid against real or imagined GW ( ), windfarms - and photovoltaics with marginal output and a highly toxic production process.

if people were serious about GW; they would stop the madness of open freezers instead of forcing mercury-laden CFLs on everyone. the silliness of the existing climate of fear (no pun intended) is imho ample proof, that the danger lies within society and nowhere else.

[edit on 2009.8.25 by Long Lance]

reply to post by Long Lance


Harvesting it seems to be pretty tricky, if anything goes wrong, the hydrates are exposed to seawater, and boild away (sinking the ship like in the bermuda triangle) I seem to recall the japanese working on this.

CFL's need to be handled with care, and disposed properly - Just like rechargable batteries. So far, they are the best alternative we've got, besides LED's (i have both at home)

Originally posted by K-Raz
reply to post by Long Lance

 

Harvesting it seems to be pretty tricky,

yes it's not exactly an afternoon project, obviously, but drilling for petroleum or natgas wasn't either. you may want to search for the indonesian mud volcano, triggered by negligent drilling to see what i mean. it's obvious, however, that there is a relative abundance of hydrates and establishig the capability would be as dramatic a step as f-ex. the development of offshore drilling, to which it is quite similar i might add.

So we can stop blaming the cows now??

reply to post by wycky


actually rice paddies contribute far more methane than cows
do

reply to post by punkinworks


so do trees

funny how I've just recently finished reading a book which discussed just this sort of thing happening. You guys might want to check out the book, Mother of Storms by John Barnes.

On topic, my only contribution is to point y'all to the following links:

Methane Clathrates - Wiki

Clathrates - little known components of the global carbon cycle

The Clathrate Smoking Gun

reply to post by Nineteen


While some (very little in fact) methane is produced in volcanic action, the vast majority is created by biological action, ie; the decay of organic matter. I would hazard an educated guess and say that the methane that is released via volcanic action is just a release of methane locked into the crust which was produced by organic action in the first place.

The methane locked in the sea-bed is exactly this. It is produced by anaerobic decay and frozen into place due to the high pressures/low temperatures.

An increase in the ambient temperature of where these deposits are locked will result in the release of this gas, usually in a huge burst.

Quite how you seem to think that volcanoes are the source of methane is beyond me. Even more puzzling is your dismissal of it's potential impact. Methane release has long been the prime suspect in several mass extinction events.

Originally posted by stumason
reply to post by Nineteen

 

While some (very little in fact) methane is produced in volcanic action,

so, are you a proponent of the deep biosphere? i mean there is so much methane bound in hydrate on the continental shelves, it begs the question how much biomatter would be required to form it.