The latest threat to climate conservationists is apparently coming from the Arctic Ocean, where methane is being released in higher-than-expected proportions. In some places, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere is several times higher than normal, the New York Times and other publications reported today.
Researchers at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks have concluded: "The release to the atmosphere of only 1 percent of the methane assumed to be stored in shallow hydrate deposits" could increase the level of atmospheric methane worldwide by three or four times, says the study's lead author, Natalia Shakhova. That could trigger abrupt climate warming, the authors report. But the specific climate consequences are hard to predict, they say.
- Related stories also appeared in USA Today, Associated Press via the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times Greenspace blog.
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