USGS: Climate-Hydrate Interactions

The U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project Release URL | Access date: January 3rd 2014. Climate studies in the USGS Gas Hydrates Project have become increasingly important since 2007 and focus on the impact of Late Pleistocene to contemporary climate change on the stability of methane hydrate deposits. The goal is to determine how much, if any,…

NRC: Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change (2013)

Published 3rd December 2013: National Research Council Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises | Release URL Both abrupt changes in the physical climate system and steady changes in climate that can trigger abrupt changes in other physical, biological, and human systems present possible threats to nature and society. Abrupt change is already underway in some…

The melting of permafrost

Permafrost Methane Time Bomb

First published on YouTube Sep 9, 2012: Because of global warming, permafrost — the frozen ground that covers the top of the world — has been thawing rapidly over the last three decades. But there is cause for concern beyond the far north, because the carbon released from thawing permafrost could raise global temperatures even…

State of the Ocean: Ocean Acidification and Previous Marine Extinctions

The 2013 report on the State of the Ocean, by IPSO can be accessed here (PDF). From the report: Executive Summary • Climate change and the ocean – What does the future hold? The ocean isshielding us from the worst effects of accelerating climate change by absorbing excess CO2 and heat from the atmosphere. The twin effects…

Methane hydrate destabilization a potential scenario

Excerpts from an episode of History Channel’s “Mega Disasters” series. This explores the paper published by Northwestern University’s Gregory Ryskin. His thesis: the oceans can produce massive eruptions of explosive methane gas. Methane distribution in the water column: Once released into the water column, methane is distributed by currents and aerobic methane oxidation by bacteria…

Estimating northern polar CH4 flux

A compilation of related science with some commentary. Microbes in thawing permafrost: the unknown variable in the climate change equation David E Graham, Matthew D Wallenstein, Tatiana A Vishnivetskaya, Mark P Waldrop,Tommy J Phelps, Susan M Pfiffner, Tullis C Onstott, Lyle G Whyte, Elizaveta M Rivkina,David A Gilichinsky, Dwayne A Elias, Rachel Mackelprang, Nathan C…

Arctic methane outgassing on the East Siberian Shelf

SkepticalScience.com by John Mason on January 19 2012: In December 2011, following a fresh flurry of sometimes conflicting media reports about methane outgassing on the East Siberia Arctic Shelf (ESAS), we decided to go and talk to the people doing the work on the ground. We are pleased to report that Dr Natalia Shakhova (NS…

Methane release from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf and the Potential for Abrupt Climate Change

Natalia Shakhova, Igor Semiletov | Source University of Alaska, Fairbanks, International Arctic Research Centre, USA Russian Academy of Sciences, Far Eastern Branch, Pacific Oceanological Institute, Vladivostok, Russia “Opening the Arctic”, Washington, Nov.30th-Dec.2nd, 2010. Outline What do we know about methane potential of the ESAS? Is there a mechanism responsible for transformation of methane potential to…