Methane Gas "Time Bomb"

[theartistchick]

I've been following the climate crisis for awhile here and remember reading last year that if it the huge amounts of methane gas in the permafrost started to be released into the atmosphere that it would greatly speed up global warming. Today the front page news confirms the worst- it is happening at a rate 5 times faster than scientists had expected- news report just released today......
Now, anyway to reverse this?
It looks like we are at the point of no return now- even the scientists are baffled as to what will happen now......
Scary stuff........


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14696694/?GT1=8506

an excerpt from the article:

“It’s kind of like a slow-motion time bomb,” said Ted Schuur, a professor of ecosystem ecology at the University of Florida and co-author of the Science study. “There’s these big surprises out there that we don’t even know about.”

[Freaked out]

Okay, you've just posted something that I've actually been "freaked out" about. You think that's bad - they say there are vast methane fields at the bottom of the ocean. If the ocean heats up a bit more this gas could go rushing/gurgling up and basically set the atmosphere on fire! (Eeegawd) the blue angel that no one ever wants to see.

Plus, evidently, methane is even worse than carbon dioxide for trapping heat so a large release of methane could really put us into a runaway greenhouse cycle (I realize greenhouse is a misnomer) which, if you read about that, you won't sleep very well, I guarantee it.

[Stabby Joe]

The runnaway is at Exit Mundi...

Theories change, and news can get overlly pessimistic, but then on the other hand people can withdraw certain infomation... meh, I'll just wait another 20 years lol!

[Protostar]

Nasty dead zones and methane releasing permafrost is pretty bad but the new report on the World's amphibans dying is the hardest to swallow. <journal of nature>
Whole species being eradicated, is frightening.
Prior to the KT boundry event ALL of the plankton of the earth died. hmmm.
PRIOR to the Cataclysm that caused the extinction.
Geesh, I hope under the oil fields in the oceans aren't methane fields that
they "accidently tap into" that would be bad.

[Sammy56]

Originally Posted by Protostar

Prior to the KT boundry event ALL of the plankton of the earth died.

What? Plankton is the basis of the oceanic food chain. If it went completely extinct, all ocean creatures would have goe extinct. Sure, some might have died out, but I doubt they all did.

[Stabby Joe]

Originally Posted by Protostar

Geesh, I hope under the oil fields in the oceans aren't methane fields that they "accidently tap into" that would be bad.

That notion has been brought up and being reconsidered greatly... however... you know the wallstreet fat cats...

[theartistchick]

Originally Posted by Protostar

Nasty dead zones and methane releasing permafrost is pretty bad but the new report on the World's amphibans dying is the hardest to swallow. <journal of nature>
Whole species being eradicated, is frightening.
Prior to the KT boundry event ALL of the plankton of the earth died. hmmm.
PRIOR to the Cataclysm that caused the extinction.
Geesh, I hope under the oil fields in the oceans aren't methane fields that
they "accidently tap into" that would be bad.

What report would that be?

And as far as plankton goes, I remember last year reading about the huge depletion of plankton on the Pacific coast, which had caused a major fish and bird die-off on the coast.
In fact, that article was what got me researching climate change.

[Raptor Witness]

Very nice thread Artistchick.

[Stabby Joe]

Looks like still lol! Meh...

[theartistchick]

Originally Posted by Raptor Witness

Very nice thread Artistchick.

Thank-you. This is an interesting subject to me.

[Protostar]

Ocean core samples were found to have the plankton in abundance at the site of the sample. They all died prior to the extinction but they didn't say a time-line
ratio between events. We had a thread on this with the links here on AO didn't we?
Again, the journal of nature has the new article on the anphibians and
Nasa released article on the permafrost melting in the siberian zone.
Interesting enough is the fact that after examining the core samples, they realized that they took to many inches of the soil to analyze and after consideration, they found periods of sudden climate change check out this abstract for more info:
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/transit.html

[theartistchick]

Originally Posted by Protostar

Ocean core samples were found to have the plankton in abundance at the site of the sample. They all died prior to the extinction but they didn't say a time-line
ratio between events. We had a thread on this with the links here on AO didn't we?
Again, the journal of nature has the new article on the anphibians and
Nasa released article on the permafrost melting in the siberian zone.
Interesting enough is the fact that after examining the core samples, they realized that they took to many inches of the soil to analyze and after consideration, they found periods of sudden climate change check out this abstract for more info:
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/transit.html

Interesting information- especially alarming is this scenario:

Some and possibly most large climate changes (involving, for example, a regional change in mean annual temperature of several degrees celsius) occurred at most on a timescale of a few centuries, sometimes decades, and perhaps even just a few years.

[BotchedToad]

It doesn't look good for mother earth, eh? Saw that about the permafrost melting in siberia last night. Waiting for the ross ice shelf to slide off the land mass in Antarctica myself. Should be an interesting day in Florida, Amsterdam, Venice, etc.I still believe that I chose this time to be born on Earth to get a front row seat for earth's dick clark's rock'n roll'in remembrance of Atlantis - Mu's final days. Wily human beings anyway. As long as I go with a big mountain of debt I'll be happy. 2012 may be just far enough away that nobody will see what happens when that date finally rolls around. Ohhh, the humanity!

[zerb]

Originally Posted by BotchedToad

It doesn't look good for mother earth, eh? Saw that about the permafrost melting in siberia last night. Waiting for the ross ice shelf to slide off the land mass in Antarctica myself. Should be an interesting day in Florida, Amsterdam, Venice, etc.I still believe that I chose this time to be born on Earth to get a front row seat for earth's dick clark's rock'n roll'in remembrance of Atlantis - Mu's final days. Wily human beings anyway. As long as I go with a big mountain of debt I'll be happy. 2012 may be just far enough away that nobody will see what happens when that date finally rolls around. Ohhh, the humanity!

Here's the weird thing: if it wasn't for global warming we'd be about to tip into the next ice age at any moment. If you check for example wikipedia on glaciations and stuff, there are some interesting graphs showing how at this moment we are ready for another ice age.

[stewey]

Ecosystems ecology is real difficult to map, so I wouldn't worry too much. Remember, the dinosaurs had no glaciers when they were here, and they lived just fine. Not that glaciars melting is a good thing, but worse has happened.

[Stabby Joe]

Originally Posted by stewey

Remember, the dinosaurs had no glaciers when they were here, and they lived just fine.

Ah yes, however if its a tempid place then wouldn't nations fight for it?

[equalizer]

Its a little humorus actually. The earth has a gas attack and we all die. I can see the headlines now. Earth to end humanity with massive flatulance.

[uki]

Originally Posted by equalizer

Its a little humorus actually. The earth has a gas attack and we all die. I can see the headlines now. Earth to end humanity with massive flatulance.

well we can all see the top priorities on your mind... gas(from the ass) and vasoline(for the ass)... man you just are an ass.

[Stabby Joe]

Meh, most people always make connections to lower parts of the body when the oppertunity arises... (mostly the other one though)

[theartistchick]

Originally Posted by zerb

Here's the weird thing: if it wasn't for global warming we'd be about to tip into the next ice age at any moment. If you check for example wikipedia on glaciations and stuff, there are some interesting graphs showing how at this moment we are ready for another ice age.

My understanding is that the reason we would have another ice age is because of the thermohaline conveyor stopping, which would ironically be caused by global warming ( hitting the tipping point).
So all those years ago that we were warned of going into an ice age would be correct,
and we would be bringing it on because of our actions, unlike the past scenarios which happened by natural means.

[zerb]

Originally Posted by theartistchick

My understanding is that the reason we would have another ice age is because of the thermohaline conveyor stopping, which would ironically be caused by global warming ( hitting the tipping point).
So all those years ago that we were warned of going into an ice age would be correct,
and we would be bringing it on because of our actions, unlike the past scenarios which happened by natural means.

Good point. And the thermohaline conveyor could potentially stop much faster than the time scale of global warming or another ice age. A period of a few years isn't implausible. If that happened then a lot of Europe would get much colder, playing havoc with European civilization very quickly. I don't remember what the effect would be on the US, though it wouldn't be as bad as on Europe. The warm areas that feed the the southern end of the thermohaline circulation would get warmer because all the warm water would build up instead of going north. It's scary because it could happen over a period of several years. Heck, maybe it's starting already.

[theartistchick]

Originally Posted by zerb

Good point. And the thermohaline conveyor could potentially stop much faster than the time scale of global warming or another ice age. A period of a few years isn't implausible. If that happened then a lot of Europe would get much colder, playing havoc with European civilization very quickly. I don't remember what the effect would be on the US, though it wouldn't be as bad as on Europe. The warm areas that feed the the southern end of the thermohaline circulation would get warmer because all the warm water would build up instead of going north. It's scary because it could happen over a period of several years. Heck, maybe it's starting already.

I think that it is already happening. I read an interesting report released by the pentagon that was prepared for the Dept. of Defense outlining the scenario for an abrupt climate change ( I'll look up that link and repost it)
It's not a generally talked about report but some of the things that it talks about have already occured, which leads me to believe that we have already reached the "tipping point" or are very close to it.
And by "abrupt"- it's not talking like day after tommorow type stuff- but events that will occur over a period of years (10-20 years) which in the scheme of things, would be "abrupt" for us considering how old the earth is.

[Freaked out]

Good point -

Here's a depressing thought - I heard recently that our climate system has built-in inertia - so the effects we are seeing today are the result of 1960's.

Even if we stopped all carbon emissions today, it seems that we are still in for a bumpy ride and if we have not yet passed the tipping point it seems inevitable.

[Stabby Joe]

Originally Posted by zerb

If that happened then a lot of Europe would get much colder, playing havoc with European civilization very quickly. I don't remember what the effect would be on the US, though it wouldn't be as bad as on Europe.

Wrong (its that sort of thinking is what is making Bush do nothing), although it would get horrifically cold, thats not to say the US will be fine and dandy... they've predicted a further increase in hurricanes, flooding, immense storms and not to mention water depletion... plus global warming is set to ruin the third world moreso than it already has... seriously, no one is getting it better or worse it seems...

...I'm unsure what is predicted in east Asia... but I bet its going to be as just as bad...

And the last post - sadly yes, hence why many news outlets keep speaking of a greater need to abapt...

[zerb]

Originally Posted by theartistchick

I think that it is already happening. I read an interesting report released by the pentagon that was prepared for the Dept. of Defense outlining the scenario for an abrupt climate change ( I'll look up that link and repost it)
It's not a generally talked about report but some of the things that it talks about have already occured, which leads me to believe that we have already reached the "tipping point" or are very close to it.
And by "abrupt"- it's not talking like day after tommorow type stuff- but events that will occur over a period of years (10-20 years) which in the scheme of things, would be "abrupt" for us considering how old the earth is.

The pentagon report on climate change is at http://www.climate.org/PDF/clim_change_scenario.pdf. It hit the national news 2-3 years ago, I remember.