Rate it 9.5 / 10 ---Good article - just 1 problem - the article neglected to mention the gulf stream shift The researchers estimated that 2.5 gigatonnes of methane is currently destabilising in an area 10,000 square kilometres in size. This may continue for centuries unless the Gulf Stream shifts location or the temperature cools by several degrees. It is unlikely that the North Atlantic Margin is the only place experiencing changes in the temperature of deep ocean currents. Lead author Benjamin Phrampus from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, explains in the paper: Our estimate of 2.5 gigatonnes of destabilizing methane hydrate may therefore represent only a fraction of the methane hydrate currently destabilizing globally. Vast reserves Scientists have estimated global stocks of methane hydrate at around 74 400 Gt, which is three orders of magnitude larger than conventional natural gas reserves. Professor David Archer, expert on the impact of methane hydrates on global climate at the University of Chicago, explained to Carbon Brief yesterday: There is a lot of carbon fro
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 23:33:19 +0000
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