Methane Release from the Seabed?
Modified excerpt from:
The Extinction Protocol
August 17, 2012 –ARCTIC CIRCLE
A German expedition research vessel and submersible lead by GEOMAR | Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research to analyse the sea off the western shore of Spitsbergen -- to find whether the first methane hydrates in the sea bed are dissolving and what the consequences might be-- began this week in Reykjavik, building on research conducted here by marine scientists from Kiel in 2008 in which they found over 250 places where gas was escaping the sea bed.
These spots lie directly on the border of the area of stable hydrates, which presumably are dissolving from the rim inwards.
West of Spitsbergen methane gas is effervescing out of the seabed's transitional zones - between shallow shelfs and the deep sea at continental slopes - where huge amounts of methane hydrates are stored. These specific, ice-like compounds only form at low temperatures and under high pressure. When the water temperature directly above the sea bed rises, some of the methane hydrates dissolve and release the previously bound methane.
http://theextinctionprotocol.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/01a.png?w=640&h=646
If so, enormous amounts of this very powerful greenhouse gas will be released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the continental slopes may become unstable.
During the upcoming expedition, the scientists from Kiel will be working together with colleagues from Bremen, Switzerland, Great Britain and Norway to discover whether the gas emanation shows signs of dissolved hydrates and whether this is due to warmer sea beds.
Terra Daily
URL: http://wp.me/p1eYXc-6Ka
The Extinction Protocol
August 17, 2012 –ARCTIC CIRCLE
A German expedition research vessel and submersible lead by GEOMAR | Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research to analyse the sea off the western shore of Spitsbergen -- to find whether the first methane hydrates in the sea bed are dissolving and what the consequences might be-- began this week in Reykjavik, building on research conducted here by marine scientists from Kiel in 2008 in which they found over 250 places where gas was escaping the sea bed.
These spots lie directly on the border of the area of stable hydrates, which presumably are dissolving from the rim inwards.
West of Spitsbergen methane gas is effervescing out of the seabed's transitional zones - between shallow shelfs and the deep sea at continental slopes - where huge amounts of methane hydrates are stored. These specific, ice-like compounds only form at low temperatures and under high pressure. When the water temperature directly above the sea bed rises, some of the methane hydrates dissolve and release the previously bound methane.
http://theextinctionprotocol.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/01a.png?w=640&h=646
If so, enormous amounts of this very powerful greenhouse gas will be released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the continental slopes may become unstable.
During the upcoming expedition, the scientists from Kiel will be working together with colleagues from Bremen, Switzerland, Great Britain and Norway to discover whether the gas emanation shows signs of dissolved hydrates and whether this is due to warmer sea beds.
Terra Daily
URL: http://wp.me/p1eYXc-6Ka
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