23Sept'08
Three separate groups of scientists have seen large plumes of bubbling Methane rising up from the Artic Seas.
Research ships from Russia, Sweden, and Britain have all correlated these findings. They have warned that this is likely to be linked with the rapid warming that the region has experienced in recent years.
Methane is about 20 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and many scientists fear that its release could accelerate global warming in a giant positive feedback where more atmospheric methane causes higher temperatures, leading to further permafrost melting and the release of even more methane.
Areas were found in the Sea where the release was so intense that the methane did not have time to dissolve into the seawater but was rising as methane bubbles to the sea surface. These 'methane chimneys' were documented on echo sounder and with seismic [instruments]."
At some locations, Methane concentrations reached 100 times background levels.
These anomalies have been seen in the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea, covering several tens of thousands of square kilometres, amounting to millions of tons of Methane, said Dr Gustafsson.
Although Methane may have been rising from the seabed in the Svarlbard area for thousands of years. It is very likely that as the Artic Sea ice melts, more and more Methane is being released, that would have a very serious effect on global warming.
Researchers on board the British research ship the 'James Clark Ross' said they had counted about 250 methane plumes bubbling from the seabed in an area of about 30 square miles in water less than 400 metres (1,300 feet) deep off the west coast of Svalbard.
They have also discovered a set of deeper plumes at depths of about 1,200 metres at a second site near by.
Professor Westbrook said after disembarking from the ship, which arrived back in Britain yesterday. "Now we know it's there, now we will have to very seriously consider its effect."
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-the-methane-time-bomb-938932.html***Thoughts
Physical disturbance of the sea bed when the Artic oil rigs arrive...will exacerbate the problem.
