Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumBubble plumes off Washington, Oregon suggest warmer ocean may be releasing frozen methane
http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/10/14/bubble-plumes-off-washington-oregon-suggest-warmer-ocean-may-be-releasing-frozen-methane/[font face=Serif]October 14, 2015
[font size=5]Bubble plumes off Washington, Oregon suggest warmer ocean may be releasing frozen methane[/font]
Hannah Hickey
News and Information
[font size=3]Warming ocean temperatures a third of a mile below the surface, in a dark ocean in areas with little marine life, might attract scant attention. But this is precisely the depth where frozen pockets of methane ice transition from a dormant solid to a powerful greenhouse gas.
New University of Washington research suggests that subsurface warming could be causing more methane gas to bubble up off the Washington and Oregon coast.
The study, to appear in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, shows that of 168 bubble plumes observed within the past decade a disproportionate number were seen at a critical depth for the stability of methane hydrates.
We see an unusually high number of bubble plumes at the depth where methane hydrate would decompose if seawater has warmed, said lead author H. Paul Johnson, a UW professor of oceanography. So it is not likely to be just emitted from the sediments; this appears to be coming from the decomposition of methane that has been frozen for thousands of years.
[font size=1]Sonar image of bubbles rising from the seafloor off the Washington coast. The base of the column is 1/3 of a mile (515 meters) deep and the top of the plume is at 1/10 of a mile (180 meters) depth. Brendan Philip / UW[/font]
[/font][/font]
[font size=5]Bubble plumes off Washington, Oregon suggest warmer ocean may be releasing frozen methane[/font]
Hannah Hickey
News and Information
[font size=3]Warming ocean temperatures a third of a mile below the surface, in a dark ocean in areas with little marine life, might attract scant attention. But this is precisely the depth where frozen pockets of methane ice transition from a dormant solid to a powerful greenhouse gas.
New University of Washington research suggests that subsurface warming could be causing more methane gas to bubble up off the Washington and Oregon coast.
The study, to appear in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, shows that of 168 bubble plumes observed within the past decade a disproportionate number were seen at a critical depth for the stability of methane hydrates.
We see an unusually high number of bubble plumes at the depth where methane hydrate would decompose if seawater has warmed, said lead author H. Paul Johnson, a UW professor of oceanography. So it is not likely to be just emitted from the sediments; this appears to be coming from the decomposition of methane that has been frozen for thousands of years.
[font size=1]Sonar image of bubbles rising from the seafloor off the Washington coast. The base of the column is 1/3 of a mile (515 meters) deep and the top of the plume is at 1/10 of a mile (180 meters) depth. Brendan Philip / UW[/font]
[/font][/font]
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
5 replies, 865 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (9)
ReplyReply to this post
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Bubble plumes off Washington, Oregon suggest warmer ocean may be releasing frozen methane (Original Post)
OKIsItJustMe
Oct 2015
OP
2naSalit
(86,794 posts)1. I wonder how much
all the recent seismic activity plays into this phenomena.
All the same, I think we're in big trouble while asleep at the wheel.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)2. Yeah, it is pretty much game over
A massive feedback loop is about to start and there is no coming back.
Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)3. And the climate bad news just keeps piling up
while everybody is busy caring about Dancing With The Stars, and who let the air out of a football one Sunday.
hatrack
(59,592 posts)4. Oops!
.
phantom power
(25,966 posts)5. bad, bad, bad