Washington's Exploding Manholes Explained?

sciencehabit writes "Researchers who mapped methane concentrations on the streets of the nation's capital found natural gas leaks everywhere, at concentrations of up to 50 times the normal background levels. The leaking gas wastes resources, enhances ozone production, and exacerbates global warming—not to mention powering the city's infamous exploding manholes. Most of the natural gas we burn for heat and on stovetops in the United States is methane, a simple carbon atom surrounded by four hydrogens. Carbon dioxide gets more press, but methane is the more powerful agent of global warming, 21 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. And methane levels are rising fast. Methane levels in the atmosphere were just 650 parts per billion a century ago, versus 1800 ppb today."

Comments

Politicians are all full of crap...

[dgatwood]

...so it kind of goes without saying that there would be a lot of methane.

Re:Politicians are all full of crap...

[dkleinsc]

When we came here, all there was was swamp! And people said it would be daft to build a capital in a swamp, but we built one anyways, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So we built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So we built a third. That burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, the strongest capital in all the world!

Re:Magnitude of effectiveness

[flyneye]

You mean like the dinosaurs could've avoided it? I guess they didn't have enough money.
No one promised everyone a guaranteed long life, but, survival of the fittest, was mentioned at some point.
Just business as usual, another aeon in the life of a planet. If man doesn't survive, Jack Russell terriers will probably rise to the top of the food chain.
Monkeys are much like Washington Politicians and have no survival skills without the herd, so I'm pretty sure Jack Russells are next in line.