Methane hydrates and contemporary climate change
Nature Eduction Knowledge
By: Carolyn D. Ruppel
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Abstract
As the evidence for warming climate became better established in the latter part of the 20th century (IPCC 2001), some scientists raised the alarm that large quantities of methane (CH4) might be liberated by widespread destabilization of climate-sensitive gas hydrate deposits trapped in marine and permafrost-associated sediments (Bohannon 2008, Krey et al. 2009, Mascarelli 2009). Even if only a fraction of the liberated CH4 were to reach the atmosphere, the potency of CH4 as a greenhouse gas (GHG) and the persistence of its oxidative product (CO2) heightened concerns that gas hydrate dissociation could represent a slow tipping point (Archer et al. 2009) for Earth's contemporary period of climate change.
Suggested Citation
Ruppel, C., 2011, Methane hydrates and contemporary climate change: Nature Eduction Knowledge, v. 2, no. 12.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Methane hydrates and contemporary climate change |
| Series title | Nature Eduction Knowledge |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| Publisher location | London, UK |
| Contributing office(s) | Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Nature Eduction Knowledge |
| First page | 12 |