Transcript Arctic Methane - Iowa City Climate Advocates

Arctic Methane
Our most immediate climate change
problem is Arctic methane
Katey Walter demonstrates methane
Methane mixed with water and frozen
is called methane hydrate
It is ice that will burn
Methane hydrate on the ocean floor
Methane Ice Burgs
Methane Ice
Methane Plumes
Methane Hydrate Plug
Methane Foaming
Methane bubbling from ocean floor.
Methane gas has 170 times the
volume of the original hydrate.
Sonar of methane plumes
Methane Pingo
Types and locations of Methane
Hydrate Deposits
The East Siberian Arctic Shelf . It
contains vast amounts of hydrates
siberian
The Gakkek Ridge is an extension of
the Mid Atlantic Ridge
Methane escapes into the atmosphere
Methane above the Arctic in January
of 2012
Permafrost is thawing and creating
methane producing thaw lakes
Warmer water is flowing into the
Arctic Ocean
Thaw lakes and peat bogs east of the
Ural Mountains
An Arctic Circle river delta
Shorelines are subject to erosion
without the protection of sea ice.
Permafrost thawing exposes yedoma.
Large amounts of Methane and CO2
escape from these areas.
After the permafrost thaws, the
ground subsides and dries out.
When the “ground” dries out it
becomes susceptible to fires. Lighting
strikes have increased 20%
As of 9/03/2012 Arctic Summer Sea Ice
extent and volume has decreased by
81%
PIOMAS expects the summer Arctic
Sea Ice to be gone by about 2015
First significant acknowledgement that
a feedback system has started
“Amplifying each other” means the
dreaded feedback system has started
NCAR’s HIPPO project flew through
various levels taking samples
HIPPO discovered methane coming up
from all over the Arctic Ocean
Methane hydrate regions
Methane eruption centers or torches
What happens if we don’t deal with
methane? Here is one estimate.
Here is one thing we can do
Methane is no longer a greenhouse
gas with one hydrogen atom removed
Rockwell/Collins engineers have
been helpful but Rockwell/Collins
has not taken up the project.
• It was discovered that HAARP already has Radio
Frequency Transmitters in operation. An adjustment in
frequencies could test for sure whether or not
methane can be decomposed in the atmosphere.
• Lt. Col. Kleiman has received the project proposal and
has forwarded it to the HAARP Project Director.
HAARP’s major source of funding is the US NAVY.
Contact your representative and ask them to make sure
HAARP takes up this project.
It was recently discovered that the
Antarctic has about three times as
much methane as the Arctic.