Sep 03, 2020 14:00:00

Ocean warming is progressing due to methane gas released from methane hydrate in the sea

A research team

at the University of Linnaeus in Sweden reported that 'ocean warming' in which the temperature of seawater increased due to methane gas derived from methane hydrate deposited on the sea floor was reported. The research team argues that a large amount of methane gas, also known as a greenhouse gas, is released from the ocean to promote ocean warming and cause long-term climate change.

Gas hydrate dissociation linked to contemporary ocean warming in the southern hemisphere | Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17289-z

Massive release of methane gas from the seafloor linked to global warming discovered for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere | lnu.se
https://lnu.se/en/meet-linnaeus-university/current/news/2020/massive-release-of-methane-gas-from-the-seafloor-linked-to-global-warming-discovered-for- the-first-time-in-the-southern-hemisphere/

Methane hydrate is a substance formed by water and methane under conditions of low temperature and high pressure, and is also called 'burning ice.' Methane, which is the material for methane hydrate, is a gas that has a greenhouse effect that is about 25 times that of carbon dioxide, and the decomposition of methane hydrate on the seabed and the release of methane gas may promote ocean warming. It has been pointed out.

by Burlasaikiran

``The decomposition of methane hydrate and the release of methane gas is a long-term process that has been going on for centuries. , It could lead to changes in the marine environment.'

“It is estimated that methane hydrate contains more hydrocarbons in the form of methane than all fossil fuels combined,” says Ketzer. There is a possibility that the rate will be released, methane gas will be released into the sea, and that methane gas will cause a further ocean warming... loop.'

Based on the idea that ``the past climate change that has occurred over the long history of the earth is one of the causes of methane gas released from methane hydrate'', a research team led by Professor Ketzer is a researcher in Brazil and France Since 2011, we have been conducting exploration and research on the sea floor of the South Atlantic Ocean using a methane hydrate sampling device and a remotely controllable submarine.

And this time, after confirming the decomposition of methane hydrate and the large amount of methane gas generation, it was possible to model the flow. 'It can be said that ocean warming caused by decomposition of methane hydrate and mass release of methane gas is a phenomenon that is occurring all over the world,' says Ketzer.

In addition, based on the data and results obtained so far, how much methane is present in the study area, and whether gas hydrate may decompose and be released into seawater in the future I want to understand that,” says Professor Ketzer. Since not only methane hydrate but also sediments on the sea floor contain methane, the research team seems to be conducting exploration and research in the Baltic Sea, which is shallower than the South Atlantic.