Subsea methane release documented

[andygates]

You know that theory about how methane's trapped under permafrost and it could be a Bad Thing if it was to be released?  Well, it looks like it's happening.

Orjan Gustafsson of Stockholm University, in an Independent article:  "An extensive area of intense methane release was found [in the Laptev Sea, North of Siberia]. At earlier sites we had found elevated levels of dissolved methane. Yesterday, for the first time, we documented a field where the release was so intense that the methane did not have time to dissolve into the seawater but was rising as methane bubbles to the sea surface. These 'methane chimneys' were documented on echo sounder and with seismic [instruments]."

"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. The growing evidence for release of methane in this inaccessible region may suggest that the permafrost lid is starting to get perforated and thus leak methane... The permafrost now has small holes. We have found elevated levels of methane above the water surface and even more in the water just below. It is obvious that the source is the seabed."

Oh, crap.

Comments

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

There's more methane in the atmosphere now than there has been for 400,000 years. 60% of methane release to atmosphere comes from human sources (such as landfill gas).

In geological time, yes, it's almost instantaneous. Like I say: life on earth isn't under threat. Human life on earth is under threat. But people haven't quite grasped that yet, in the same way that teenagers think they are immortal. They think it's all about saving the tigers and the elephants and the pandas. It's not really. It's already too late for most of the conservation mascots. The oil industry is fucking up the Amazon and about to try for the shale oil in Alaska. Might as well quit worrying about the polar bears and the Jaglee-ars.

A well-known conservationist recently admitted that it's entirely hopeless. When asked why he keeps going he said it's because it's not about the winning, it's about being on the right side. That brings a level of moral obectivity to conservation that I'm afraid evolution doesn't recognise. We're going to fuck over every species with which we share this planet, and in doing so we're going to fuck over ourselves while the technologically optimistic and the blinkered nay-sayers tell us we'll be just fine because it's not real/we'll find a way to sequester the carbon in time/scientists don't know what they're talking about anyway/we'll move to Mars.

Fuckspuds.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

"Drill baby, drill," to quote the fucktard prime.