Scientists have today warned that global warming could rapidly accelerate as millions of tons of methane escape from the arctic seabed. According to preliminary findings, as the Arctic region gets warmer massive deposits of the greenhouse gas – 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – are rising to the surface.
Orjan Gustafsson of Stockholm University, one of the expedition’s leaders, said in an email from their Russian research ship that, for the first time, the team had discovered an extensive area of methane release so intense that “the methane did not have time to dissolve into the seawater but was rising as methane bubbles to the sea surface.” The team believe that the accelerated release is connected to rising temperatures throughout the Arctic region.
Gustafsson went on to report that “the conventional thought has been that the permafrost ‘lid’ on the sub-sea sediments on the Siberian shelf should cap and hold the massive reservoirs of shallow methane deposits in place.” However, extensive research across thousands of square miles of the Arctic seabed had revealed growing evidence “that the permafrost lid is starting to get perforated and thus leak methane.”
Image Credit – Nick_Russill via Flickr on a Creative Commons License
anonymous says
Can’t take it no more. I am sooooo sick and tired of world planners, politicians, and scientists lying to the general public about global warming in order to carry out their “secret” agenda.
You may have most of the people fooled, but then there is people like me who is aware of your diabolical scheme.
Aaron says
Maybe the leaking methane is contributing to global warming and not us?
Hope says
I watched some of the “rightalk”. Thanks for the link. It is all just frustrating. I’m sure each side, or the many sides, have their own agenda(s). There has to be so many facets of truth and non truths, with some trying to prove their theories, causing panic, etc.. Who do we believe anymore?
Alex says
so harness it! Get some sort of gas collector like they have for cows and make cars that run on liquid methane or something like that. Solve the energy crisis. Stop worrying and start doing.
Torq says
In my opinion, this article just goes to show that the Global Warming issue is much more complex than Al Gore and his cronies of misinformation, alarmism, and deliberate deception would have us believe. Remember the “Hole In The Ozone” deception they used to get everyone to sign on to the Rio Accords and ban CFC’s?
Warming and cooling trends have been going on for millions of years before humans ever stood upright and will continue long after humans are extinct. They are more a product of volcanic activity or lack thereof than anything else that humans have done or failed to do.
Mark Willey says
I am wondering about this global warming stuff how could the methane deposits in the artic sea affect the whole world and what affect would it have on earth?… thats my curiousty question, now i just have an opinion Global Warmming, big deal so what the world has been going through this for a long long time. dont u people know nothing last forever including earth life exsist here on earth but just as in everyday life, ad lives come to a end all over the world eventually so will the earth its not in our hands or power to save it God created it, God shall taketh away. and whats the whole deal with space travel? what does everyone get out of it, nothing we just get to pay taxes and buy them new space crafts and fuels to fly out there in space, why? who cares do they think if earth dies or is destroyed that we are all just going to happily fly in to space on another planet and live there, no it dont work that way when its all over with its done no more nothing all existence shall be gone, even their space crafts,.
Rio says
Bobby, sounds more like a conspiracy theory…. Come on Russia? Thats like saying were jacking up oil prices so that we can fund research teams to find alternative ways of gas and energy.
albo says
Isn’t this just typical of the rigorous science applied by the green lobby… I quote: “The team believe that the accelerated release is connected to rising temperatures throughout the Arctic region.” Who are these people? Who funds them ? What leads them to the grand conclusion that “global warming” is the cause of methane release ? Who’s validated their conclusions?
Typical bunk. The garbage science is only matched by the “sustainablog’s” garbage journalism. Pathetic.
Mario Farrugia says
Ideally the methane reserves should be tapped and utilised commercially. The CO2 generated will be less potent as a greenhouse gas and the energy supplied will help ease the burden caused by the high oil prices.
Don says
So what does this mean?
Gkb says
Hello people of earth,
If you want to save the planet for your future generations, we must make a full commitment to act upon these hard times of Global Warming.
Must we wait till we actually see more serious consequences before the world fully commits to restoring our great planet to normal?
People blame this and blame that and yet you wake up and continue on your same regiment.
Stop waiting for the powerful to step up and tell you what to do. It is time you take this serious threat into your own hands. We all have the power to change the world, so exercise it.
If we all had a month of just spending our lives with just the nescessities, wouldn’t you think that would vastly improve our planet. Think, thats why we have brains.
10 things you can do to help in no particular order.
-First things first, exercise your right to be informed. Knowledge is power.
-Second, STOP POLLUTING. QUIT BEING LAZY.
-Third, GO RECYCLE. It’s not required but should be b4 it’s too late.
-Fourth, Use alternitive energies.
-Fifth, Plant a tree.
-Six, Protest against polluting industries,factories, exc, exc. (unless you dont mind your children growing up in a chemical climate, that may lead to cancer or what not).
-Seventh, reduce the amount of plastic items you buy from the grocery store. ( Plastic stays in a landfill for a lot of years, haven’t you seen that commercial?).
-Eight, Be a leader, show people that it’s possible.
-Nine, Get off your BIG BUTT.
-Tenth, Believe you alone can help change the world one step at a time. Imagine what you could do in a lifetime if you did all of this.
Thank You all for helping and taking the time to read this. May the green be with you.. ๐
Global Cooling says
Wow. Some more scare tactics. I can’t believe all this bullshit that “scientists” are spewing at us at the speed of light. Unbelievable. Friggin SWEET!!!
Dustin M. says
The video from โRight Talkโ as posted below the article might be the best thing I have seen in some time. Every scientist I know has told me that the warming is natural if not cyclical. This video, and the scientific testimony therein, coincides with what I have been told and with what basic logic and reason can tell you if you listen clearly enough to the news. The media might only report 10% truth in a story; that being places, names, and dates. The rest is just angle and spin to sell whatever it is might be popular at the time. Look beyond their agenda and find the facts that canโt be distorted, apply common sense, and the truth of a story will come into focus. Trust me, the average journalist is not smarter than the average person, they are quite simply better writers. Yes it’s getting warmer, and yes oil is out or control, but it is not breeding our doom. We have become so spoiled as a species that it seems, despite our ability to adapt, we will not forsake our comfort to do so; that is the real inconvenient truth.
Ed says
Thanks, I watched the beginning of that video. I don’t have time to watch it right now, but I will watch it later. One thing I’d like to point out is that in the beginning of the video, somebody says that co2 doesn’t cause the temperature to go up. From most the sources I’ve seen, ice core samples show a strong correlation between temperature and co2, but, the dating is not accurate enough to determine which causes which. Chemists and physicists can probably determine if co2 is in fact a greenhouse gas though, and my guess is they already have.
To me, it makes sense that burning fossil fuels would change the climate. Just because fossil fuels are made from plants and other organic matter that took these gases out of the air over millions of years. And by burning these fuels we are releasing them back into the atmosphere, and restoring the climate to what it was before these molecules were concentrated into the earth.
Jason says
This just goes to show you how the world we live in doesn’t care. When i posted this I was the 3rd person to do so, but if you look at Clay aikien’s gay thing it has 1000s of hits. When will people learn about the real matters but then again the earth is 3000 years old and evolution isn’t real………………………………………………………..
come on people we need to do something about this asap
or were not gonna have an earth to live on. !!!
AJ says
Yeah its easy to say we need to capture the methane but do you have any ideas on how we might go about doing that?
And in regards to the video all it shows is a collection of scientists saying that man created global warming is a lie. Well guess what? Global warming is still occurring and even if we aren’t causing it (which in my opinion is a ridiculous notion considering the impact we have on our earth) at the very least we have the power to do something about it. This is a serious problem.
res says
the earth should be given more attention. Everyone must be concern on what was happening on the environment because it can affect the human kind as well as those all living things that balance our ecology.
Larry says
That is why we should do something about it, It’s almost october and it’s still only getting warmer.
Preety M.S. says
Its really a serious problem… Maybe now it doesn’t seem threatening but in coming years it is going to be… The documentary movie (INCONVENIENT TRUTH – by Al Gore) really was a very informative one about Global warming and people should start taking into consideration that humanity has more important issues such as Global Warming (a slow and silent cancer) instead of focussing entirely on other matters such as terrorism etc…
Anon says
What they should do is cloud seed the polar ice caps every year and make it snow to regrow the polar caps!
Clement A. says
Here we live in a world deficient in energy yet thousands of tonnes of clean fuel is escaping into the atmosphere to do more damage into our earth. This only shows our selfishness. Instead of spending millions of dollars trying to recreate the big-bang theory why not re-direct this technology and resources to creating inventions that would minimise the costs of fuel?
john says
Nice thought bobby, make it cost effective and you have a winner. A trend toward warming should make this a more productive and human friendly world. Why the sad faces? For protests try hitting the marlboro smokers or queers, everyone hates them.
Dan Jackson says
Right on man…Certain scientists have known about this,but the public remains ignorant…Thanks for bringing it into attention ….something must be done and knowing about it ….is a giant first step…Keep saving the planet …….Mr.Williams …i salute you dude…
Justin says
Mr Responder, that is a good video it is refreshing to hear another view on global warming. I tend to agree with it. To me there is a lot of data supporting this theory and it’s logical.
There is a great book on this subject and about how groups, governments, and organizations will use fear to control people. Read “State of Fear” by Michael Crichton. I read it prior to Al Gore’s film and the craze that followed. So when all the histeria hit I thought it sounded a lot like what I just read a year or two before.
Interesting site “Rightalk.” I am a republican and in my opinion, I find that site a little extreme. If you go to the webpage http://www.rightalk.com there is a message that I swear was written on a 5th grade reading and comprehension level.
Jeff G. says
I watched the whole video ‘responder,’ and I have to admit that I usually am a staunch environmentalist. However, I also am a strong advocate for addressing other global issues and am often willing to look at another point of view.
I’d like to start with the good points: the video appears well-made and well-done. Bravo for quality. I imagine some would call it invalid right from the beginning when RightTalk appears at the bottom of the screen, but of course, basic psychology has taught us about confirmation bias. So environmentalists who share Sierra Club and Greenpeace videos overlook the underlying agenda there too (because they are searching for information that supports the belief that they AlREADY hold.) It happens on both sides. This phenomenon is inevitable. I applaud the use of many experts and dissidents of the same groups who largely propel the other viewpoint. More perspectives is always better than a single, forced one. And, historically our studies of movements tend to assume absolute unification where in reality, there are dissidents of every movement.
A more general fault is that it doesn’t address future action enough. The video appears a strong condemnation of the environmental movement and a claim that ‘there is no problem.’ Still, it does a VERY narrow job of dissecting issues with African development and how MANY more factors intersect to create the human rights, labor, and environmental (I’m talking hard or substance pollution)quandaries and abuses that constantly hamper the continent. Simply put, a coal plant will not solve their problems. China has lots of those, and yet they are experiencing a world of political, social, and environmental problems. They are developing! But is the wealth shared? Is the population growth rate sustainable? Are the lives of sweatshop workers improving? I admit freely that I am no expert, but I am skeptical that mere energy development is the answer.
So, though I may rethink the theory that human industry is the sole and most significant source of global warming, it doesn’t mean that I support IRRESPONSIBLE development/growth (I still believe we need better urban planning that doesn’t irrationally favor any industry over another. I’m specifically talking about reviving the American car industry and building more highways rather than promoting more effective and efficient Mass Transit systems. And this is only one issue. I think urban planning needs a dire overhaul!) or that I support it at all. I have a major quandary with development in general and many more especially concerning governmental policies of HOW it is accomplished (consider the world financial crisis. we boomed on unfounded and irrational speculation, and now waking from that dream we’ve busted harder than ever! The market and big business NEED BIG REFORMS to ensure this doesn’t happen again and again and again.) The main problem is that earth does indeed have a limit of resources, even fundamental ones like space and water. So, eternal growth (Industry and particularly Population growth) will eventually cause scarcity and resource wars if we don’t plan sustainably. I’m not necessarily correlating industry growth and population growth. I’m admit I’m not completely sure of their relationship, but I do know that we live in a consumer economy as the globe increasingly does as well, which means that there need be an unending growth of people to buy all of the products we produce. This trend tends to push population growth. Even Industrialized nations that have noticed population decline will actively try to boost it with incentives (Australia offered big tax breaks for having children, for instance, (I’m sorry I don’t have a source for this, but I swear it can be verified in public policy records.)) Essentially, we must address population growth. That’s the bottom line. Unfortunately, I’ve heard no great ideas yet… (The philosophical equivalent of this argument is the lifeboat scenario where the boat represents earth’s limited capacity, and there are those inside and outside the life boat. It seems up to those inside to decide who can or can’t be saved from drowning on the outside, but know that not all those on the outside can be included else the boat will sink! And everyone will drown.) Some have suggested building another lifeboat. Interesting idea. But how? Mars or Moon colonies? I guess. But I’m hesitant.
Another notable analogy is the cancer one where eternal growth is likened to cancer on a human body which has an obvious optimal stopping point for growth, and anything beyond that is usually a tumor, particularly one that could be or will be fatal to the whole body.
I’m sorry this is so long-winded, but I truly enjoyed a different perspective from your video as much as I enjoy engaging in healthy debate about such issues. I hope these posts spark a continued discussion. I’d be open to continue it.
JONATHON ORNELAS says
HELLO FIRST OF ALL I THINK HONESTLY THAT THE REASON THAT WE ARE HAVING SO MUCH GLOBAL WARMING IS ON THE BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE AND THE GOVERMENT BECUS I THINK THAT IF WE THE PEOPLE HAVE SO MUCH WORRIE ON WERE NOT ONLY US BUT ARE KIDS ARE GOING TO BE IN THIS WORLD 20 30 YEARS FROM NOW AND THE GOVERMENT IS SO WORRIED I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD TRY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND HAVE WE THE PEOPLE JOIN IN AS FAST AND POSSIBLE AS WE CAN CAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMBER THIS IS ARE HOME AND THIS WILL BE ARE KIDS HOME AND THERE KIDS HOME AND SO ON AND SO FORTH SO AS I THINK WE ALL SHOULD AMKE A EFFORT IN PITCHING IN TO MAKE ARE HOME AND EATH A BETTER PLACE AND AS FOR THE METHANE GAS COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA BED THAT RIGHT THERE SHOULD SHOW YOU ALL THAT WE ARE REALLY HAVING A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE WE ARE HAVING THINGS HAPPEN NOW IN ARE ENVIORMENT THAT WAS NOT THERE BEFOR AND OR IF THEY WERE THERE THEY WERENT A PROBLEM AS SO MUCH NOW SO THAT SHOULD TELL US IF NOT ANYTHING ELSE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND OR JUST SIT BACK AND WAIT TO DIE AND ARE THINK IF IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU SO YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY THEN THINK OF IT FOR YOUR KIDS AND THERE KIDS SOME WERE ALONG THE LINE IT WILL HAPPEN SO DO SOMETHING AND DO IT FAST CUS IF YOU WAIT TO LONG IT MIGHT BE TO LATE
Rich M says
Most people do not seem to know their history. “We came from an Ice Age”. In plain English, that means that we have been warming for over a million years. It’s like if I start saying that the Earth is slowly moving away from the Sun. Although true, the Solar System has been expanding and it always has. Therefore, for those doomsayers, you need to stop the stupidity and find productive things to do with your knowledge…Idiots.
ron s says
Global warming is a farse. It all started with Gore’s forged movie (scenes copied from the computer generated scenes from “The Day After Tomorrow”. Nobel Prize for plagerism and fraud…goes to show the state of the world we’re in. Here’s a thought…has anyone stopped to think that maybe the methane is responsible for the ice melting in the first place???? I didn’t think so, it too scientific.
Roberta says
It’s always difficult to accept something if it means we must fundamentally rethink the way we live and the things we take for granted. Having said that, “It’s time to shit or get off the pot.”
Kirby says
Global warming is really alarming!
All of us knew how serious this problem is, hence, all must participate to prevent this kind of problem. This is not a problem of each one of us but rather a problem of each individual living on earth. The problem comes from the people so the solution lies among them.
God made us not to destroy His creation but rather to preserve it as much as possible.
That’s all thank You…u
Yoron says
I’m quite tired of ignoramus trying to leave their pompous messages everywhere.
If you don’t have anything more than your misinformed view of how you think life should behave, why not keep your mouth closed?
Frozen Methane, the tundra, permafrost don’t care for your views, neither does the rest of nature.
Believing that methane is free energy, just waiting to be collected is so f*ng ah? well, you can guess what I think about that…
Here a methane watch…
http://www.geocities.com/leonidyurganov/MMM.htm
Here some information.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081219-methane-siberia.html
Jimmy says
What bothers me is that all the people on here saying we can change global warming and asking us to join websites like WECANSOLVEIT.org actually believe that anything they do is going to make a difference. It’s a cycle that was never meant to stop. It has happened before and it will happen again. If we got rid of every car in the world, we’d still have global warming. 1 volcano erupting anywhere on earth puts out more pollution than every man, woman and child for something like 100 years. Why don’t you spend your time and brainpower on something that will make a difference
alexis Renteria says
methane gas helps the planet it dose not harm it many people confuse methane with Co2
Uncle B says
Sands of time have shifted. The Golden Age in the U.S., driven by the ‘Cheap Oil Age’ is over, and American greed assures the destruction of cap rock and basement rocks for their own artesian formations by ‘Fracking’ for pitiful small amounts of natural gas. All the while, China initiates the real “Nuclear Age” for mankind with mass producible Thorium reactors, that will ‘Alter the Global Energy Maps’ forever.
A “Special Arrogance” in the U.S. wishes to take credit for the new 21st century realities. Unfortunately, greed driven debt in the U.S. has destroyed that country, Nixon marked the beginning of the end by removing the U.S. from the Gold Standard, to the current “Faith Based” – “Funny Money” printed by the Feds – a “Private” bank? Global Warming America’s fault? perhaps they contributed, but as the American dream draws to a disastrous and unsustainable end, and American peons go as ‘unemployables’ to their streets, they are in reality the victims, not the perpetrators of the magnificent scheme that would enrichen so few so quickly and leave so many Third World American peons behind, victims of the ‘Coca Cola Corpocracy’.
Kirsten @ Green Global Travel says
What would be some of the side effects from this methane leak? Methane is a contributor to global warming however is there anything that can be done directly to offset or deal with this issue?