Warmer Pacific Ocean Could Release Millions of Tons of Methane

vinces99 writes: Off the U.S. West Coast, methane gas is trapped in frozen layers below the seafloor. New research from the University of Washington shows that water at intermediate depths is warming enough to cause these carbon deposits to melt, releasing methane into the sediments and surrounding water. Researchers found that water off the coast of Washington is gradually warming at a depth of 500 meters (about a third of a mile down), the same depth where methane transforms from a solid to a gas. The research suggests that ocean warming could be triggering the release of a powerful greenhouse gas (abstract).

Scientists believe global warming will release methane from gas hydrates worldwide, but most of the focus has been on the Arctic. The new paper estimates that, from 1970 to 2013, some 4 million metric tons of methane has been released from hydrate decomposition off Washington's coast. That's an amount each year equal to the methane from natural gas released in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout off the coast of Louisiana, and 500 times the rate at which methane is naturally released from the seafloor.

Comments

How about a straight answer?

[metrix007]

I've stayed clear of the whole climate change (or whatever you want to call it) debacle for the last decade, since it has become so politicized.

I don't have enough field knowledge to combat every ridiculous claim, coming from either side.

From what I understand, there is little doubt climate change is happening, the questions is to what extent the impact of humans may be responsible.

Is there any solid evidence for this? How reliable are the models? How can we have a reliable answer when we haven't been recording data for long enough?

I would appreciate a simplified answer with good citations. If the IPCC report is not sufficient or is incorrect, why?