All Articles Tagged As: methane

Methane releases from Arctic shelf may be much larger and faster than anticipated (3/9/2010)

A section of the Arctic Ocean seafloor that holds vast stores of frozen methane is showing signs of instability and widespread venting of the powerful greenhouse gas, according to the findings of an international research team led by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists Natalia Shakhova and Igor Semiletov. ...> Full Article

Much of the early methane rise can be attributed to the spreading of northern peatlands (1/15/2010)

The surprising increase in methane concentrations millennia ago, identified in continental glacier studies, has puzzled researchers for a long time. According to a strong theory, this would have resulted from the commencement of rice cultivation in East Asia. However, a study conducted at the University of Helsinki's Department of Environmental Sciences and the Department of Geosciences and Geography shows that the massive expanse of the northern peatlands occurred around 5000 years ago, coincident with rising atmospheric methane levels. ...> Full Article

New evidence supports 19th century idea on formation of oil and gas (11/7/2009)

Scientists in Washington, D.C. are reporting laboratory evidence supporting the possibility that some of Earth's oil and natural gas may have formed in a way much different than the traditional process described in science textbooks. Their study is scheduled for November/December issue of ACS' Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly publication. ...> Full Article

Methane gas likely spewing into the oceans through vents in sea floor (9/6/2009)

Same mechanism would allow trapped methane to escape in arctic regions ...> Full Article

Hydrocarbons in the deep Earth? (7/28/2009)

Oil and gas started out as living organisms that died, were compressed, and were heated under layers of sediments in the Earth's crust. Scientists have debated for years whether some of these hydrocarbons could have been created deeper in the mantle and formed without organic matter. Now for the first time, scientists have found that ethane and heavier hydrocarbons can be synthesized under conditions of the upper mantle. ...> Full Article

Large methane release could cause abrupt climate change as happened 635 million years ago (5/30/2008)

Research team says methane-triggered global warming ended last 'snowball' ice age; dramatically reorganized Earth system ...> Full Article

Methane sources over the last 30,000 years (4/18/2008)

New insights into natural changes in atmospheric methane concentrations ...> Full Article