Comments on: Aghast over Gases http://www.attackofthemonkey.com/blog/2006/09/06/aghast-over-gases/ Science News ... Monkey Spin Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:11:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Mac http://www.attackofthemonkey.com/blog/2006/09/06/aghast-over-gases/#comment-55 Mac Sat, 09 Sep 2006 13:59:05 +0000 http://www.attackofthemonkey.com/blog/2006/09/06/aghast-over-gases/#comment-55 Although CH4 may be 20 times more potent than CO2, it doesn't stay in the atmosphere very long. Within decades it reacts with oxygen or returns with rainfall. It's obviously a serious problem, but not a catastrophe by itself. The "tipping point" problem scares me more. There is so much CO2 dissolved in the oceans, and so little understanding of what's going on there. Although CH4 may be 20 times more potent than CO2, it doesn’t stay in the atmosphere very long. Within decades it reacts with oxygen or returns with rainfall. It’s obviously a serious problem, but not a catastrophe by itself.

The “tipping point” problem scares me more. There is so much CO2 dissolved in the oceans, and so little understanding of what’s going on there.

]]> By: monkey http://www.attackofthemonkey.com/blog/2006/09/06/aghast-over-gases/#comment-59 monkey Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:36:16 +0000 http://www.attackofthemonkey.com/blog/2006/09/06/aghast-over-gases/#comment-59 The "tipping point" for CO2 isn't scary just because it's CO2. <a href="http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/sepoct/features/global.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">A few degrees in global temperature change can cause major planet-scale changes</a>. Since methane also acts as a greenhouse gas, it will help to speed up that climate shift - and a few decades in the atmosphere is long enough. I can't say that I know 100% of what is going on (no one does - I mean, I haven't done ALL my research), but methane is something to be worried about. Methane bubbles can also be toxic (see <a href="http://www.sveurop.org/gb/articles/articles/Lake%20Nyos.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">this case</a>). And it's not just methane dissolved in permafrost, there are <a href="http://healthandenergy.com/methane_hydrate.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">huge amounts of methane in sea floor sediments</a>. The “tipping point” for CO2 isn’t scary just because it’s CO2. A few degrees in global temperature change can cause major planet-scale changes. Since methane also acts as a greenhouse gas, it will help to speed up that climate shift - and a few decades in the atmosphere is long enough. I can’t say that I know 100% of what is going on (no one does - I mean, I haven’t done ALL my research), but methane is something to be worried about. Methane bubbles can also be toxic (see this case). And it’s not just methane dissolved in permafrost, there are huge amounts of methane in sea floor sediments.

]]>