Potential new source of methane release complicates greenhouse forecasts

Climate scientists have long worried about methane hydrate, the ice-bound form of the gas that litters ocean floors. More warming could cause this stuff to melt, releasing a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But, according to the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Weiser, most have not taken into account potential sudden releases of methane (aka natural gas) associated with deeper seafloor oil. Research by a University of California-Davis geologist suggests that deposits off Santa Barbara are vulnerable to release as warming continues. In a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, she reports finding links between past warming episodes and gas release from that area. She says it’s not clear whether similar deposits elsewhere are vulnerable to sudden release. Weiser’s story is measured, not alarmist and brings in appropriate caveats. The Oroville (Calif.) Mercury-Register’s Ian Hoffman tops his story with a terrific lede: ” The last two times the Earth warmed considerably and put glaciers on the run, huge plumes of the potent greenhouse gas methane bubbled out of the ocean off the California coast.”