Methane explosion investigated as cause for mysterious Siberian sink hole (Update)

Salon: According to Anna Kurchatova, with the Sub-Arctic Scientific Research Centre, the hole could have to do with the thawing of Siberia’s permafrost, a consequence of global warming. The rapid release of gas previously trapped in the ice, she said, could have combined with sand beneath the surface to form an underground explosion. The Siberian…

Time history of atmospheric carbon dioxide (2013 data)

Video credit: Andy Jacobson, CIRES/NOAA In 2013, Greenhouse gases continued to rise, 34 percent increase since 1990 NOAA reported in May 2014, about greenhouse gas observations, based on the Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI). Findings show that greenhouse gasses keep rising, a trend observed since the Industrial Revolution (1880s) and has accelerated in recent decades. The main contributor…

With further Arctic Amplification, How fast will Greenhouse Gas emissions accelerate in the Arctic Circle?

Introduction to Methane Hydrate “Methane Hydrates and Contemporary Climate Change” (2011) IDENTIFICATION This post “A Mechanism for Shallow Methane Hydrate Dissociation”, explores possible mechanism which could release vast quantities of shallow Methane Hydrate into the ocean and atmosphere.       CH4 Release The following studies explore the release of CH4 emissions in the Arctic region. OBSERVATION…

Global Warming Speeds Up Methane Emissions from Freshwater

By Tim Radford (Climate News Network): Scientists think the amount of methane emitted to the atmosphere from freshwater ecosystems will increase as the climate warms, triggering further warming. LONDON, 20 March – British scientists have identified yet another twist to the threat of global warming. Any further rises in temperature are likely to accelerate the release of methane from…

The melting of permafrost

Updated: Discovery of Positive Methane Feedback from Permafrost Thaw

Update: As pointed out by one of the authors, Rhiannon Mondav, the microbe is not considered an entire new discovery. (See comment below). Phys.org explains: Scientists from The University of Queensland have discovered a microbe that is set to play a significant role in future global warming. UQ’s Australian Centre for Ecogenomics researcher Ben Woodcroft said…

U.S. Methane Emissions are 50% Higher than Official Estimates

America’s natural gas system is leaky and in need of a fix, new study finds A review of more than 200 earlier studies confirms that U.S. emissions of methane are considerably higher than official estimates. Leaks from the nation’s natural gas system are an important part of the problem. This finding has important implications for…

Flooded Soil Science

Repost from 2012:  Kate Scow – Professor of Soil Science and Microbial Ecology, UC Davis setup an excellent wiki entry about flooding on soils. Flooded soils occur with complete water saturation of soil pores, and generally result in anoxic conditions of the soil environment. Flooded soil environments may include such ecosystem as: rice paddies; wetlands (swamps,…

BP study: Greenhouse emissions will rise by almost a third in the next 20 years

Fiona Harvey and Terry Macalister from The Guardian, report: Energy firm’s analysis finds switch to other fuels like shale gas will do little to cut carbon emissions In the UK, shale gas has received a boost from David Cameron, who vowed to go all out for shale by offering taxpayer-funded giveaways to companies. But the news that such a move will…

UK and Poland announce plans to push fracking across Europe

David Cameron tells Polish Prime Minister that he will cooperate to prevent EU legislation that could slow down fracking industry By Sophie Yeo | Release URL  The UK and Poland have pledged to work together against any EU regulation that could threaten the shale gas industry. Speaking to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the phone, David…