Sponsored Content
« Dude Who's Had 50 Plastic Surgeries Says Cosmetic Surgery Addiction Is Not Really a Thing | Main | Jeff Sessions Press Conference »
March 02, 2017

Probes of Deep Sea Floor Reveals "Strong" Sources of Methane, a Powerful Greenhouse Gas

To understand why this is important, you need to know what the "Science Media" refuses to tell you: While carbon dioxide is classified as a greenhouse gas, it is barely classified as one: It is one of the very weakest to have such a designation.

By the way, carbon dioxide is an even weaker greenhouse agent than understood even by climate skeptics: It begins as a weak greenhouse gas, and then becomes even more weak at higher concentrations. That is, units of carbon dioxide do not "stack" upon themselves as simple as 1 + 1 = 2. It's more like 1 + 1 = 1.4. And the 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.65.

As carbon dioxide concentration increases, the addition of any more carbon dioxide contributes less to the greenhouse effect than the last. The "marginal" impact of every new dose of carbon dioxide is always less than the last dose administered.

Methane, on the other hand, is a powerful greenhouse gas.

How much more powerful is methane than carbon dioxide in terms of greenhouse impact? Try thirty times more powerful, Jack.

The Warming Mongers have occasionally sort of owned up to this Inconvenient Truth. When they talk about cattle farming as being a Danger to Our Very Earth, they're talking about the methane produced by cows' digestion of grass and feed. Their farts, I mean. More cows, more methane, more greenhouse effect.

But of course their central preoccupation is carbon dioxide, which I have a habit of mocking as The Invisible Killer. In fact, it's not so much a killer as a minor bother.

Now scientists have probed the tropical Pacific floor, and have found a great big swath of microbes pumping out a gas that actually has a greenhouse impact beyond the trivial.

Writing in the journal for the International Society for Microbial Ecology, (Friday 24 February 2017) the team describe for the first time how microbial methane production in parts of the seafloor, where the water is very low in oxygen, feeds a vast methane pool which extends from Panama, up to Mexico and as far out as the Hawaiian archipelago.

Joint lead author Felicity Shelley, from QMUL's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, said: "The research is novel because it's the first time anyone has successfully retrieved sediment from this part of the ocean and directly measured methane production using specialised equipment on board the research ship."

"It is important that we understand how microbes produce and consume this powerful greenhouse gas, especially in the oceans where we currently understand very little."

Hack Scientists Who Didn't Really Major in a Real Science: "The science is settled."

Actual Science: "Yes, lads, you've fathomed all of my mysteries in the thirty years since you've created and then 'pefected' this infant grab-bag science of yours. You've got me all figured out, and there's nothing left to learn. Well done, boys. Very well done. By the way, I'm being very sarcastic. Like Spock with an arched eyebrow. That's how Science rolls."






Recent Comments
bear with asymmetrical balls - an election is simply a festival for the majority: "[i]having destroyed all of George Lucas' entire le ..."

humphreyrobot : "Biden negotiates a peace deal with covid. ..."

Formerly Virginian: "SUUUUUUURE she was. With all the "KATHLEEN KEN ..."

Archimedes: "Who hired Kennedy at Disney? I would guess Iger. ..."

Oldcat: "I don't think it can save them, because even if Ig ..."

Smell the Glove: "@229 I agree that he's not frivolous, but Hannah ..."

... : "Disney: Audrey Hale Endorsed Since 2023! ..."

garrett: "When women run things, all will go much more smoot ..."

Joe Mannix (Not a cop!): "[i]Iger told Kennedy that Indiana Jones had to be ..."

bear with asymmetrical balls - an election is simply a festival for the majority: "My imperfect understanding is that Doomcock has a ..."

Please Place The gp In The Bag: "I read all the content! Love this in-the-biz dish. ..."

tubal: "I would suggest, Mr. Iger, that you stop pandering ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64