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Author Topic: Methane at Mauna Loa and Barrow  (Read 4367 times)

werther

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Methane at Mauna Loa and Barrow
« on: May 20, 2014, 11:53:54 AM »
Routinely checking ESRL GHG measurements. Having followed for several years I find the curve different enough to post:



I get the impression that the curve illustrates an acceleration in the last months.
Mauna Loa shows it too, though less pronounced. See also the Nino years (’94, ’98,’04); there’s probably some correlation. Note also the steeper curve coinciding with the much worse summer sea ice melt since ’07.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 12:16:14 AM by werther »

jai mitchell

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Re: Methane at Mauna Loa and Barrow
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2014, 07:03:05 PM »
The fracking revolution started right about 2004.  we are likely seeing a combined effect of oil and natural gas production leakage and increased temperatures in Siberia leading to localized emissions increases.  I believe that the global fracking releases are many times more than the permafrost emissions, so far.
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TerryM

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Re: Methane at Mauna Loa and Barrow
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2014, 08:22:13 PM »
The fracking revolution started right about 2004.  we are likely seeing a combined effect of oil and natural gas production leakage and increased temperatures in Siberia leading to localized emissions increases.  I believe that the global fracking releases are many times more than the permafrost emissions, so far.


This article attempts to quantify the leakage and sees it as the biggest GHG problem that we're facing. - Larger and more immediate than CO2 !


http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1002/ese3.35


I fear he may be right.


If he is and fracking expands through Europe as a response to the Russian/Ukrainian situation we could be ratcheting up our GHG equivalent so rapidly that 20 year or even 10 year methane numbers will push us past the 2C tipping points by 2035.


The paper is an easy read & I at least would appreciate feedback.


Terry

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Re: Methane at Mauna Loa and Barrow
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2014, 09:55:40 PM »
The paper

Kirsche et al. "Three decades of global methane sources and sinks."
Nature Geoscience 6, 813–823 (2013) doi:10.1038/ngeo1955

has this to say about the increase in recent years:

Quote
Several studies concluded that a recent surge in natural wetland emissions is one main cause of increasing CH4 levels, in response to abnormally high temperatures in northern high latitudes in 2007, and increased rainfall over tropical wetlands during 2008–2009 and 2010–2011 two La Niña periods. Furthermore, fossil fuel CH4 emissions probably increased again after 2005, mostly due to the intensification of shale gas and oil extraction in the United States and coal exploitation by the Chinese and Indian economies.