Comments on: Just in! March PIOMAS Arctic sea ice volume figures. https://habitablezone.com/2017/03/07/just-in-march-piomas-arctice-sea-ice-volume-figures/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: hank https://habitablezone.com/2017/03/07/just-in-march-piomas-arctice-sea-ice-volume-figures/#comment-38529 hank Wed, 08 Mar 2017 13:36:46 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=62589#comment-38529 Clathrates are those peculiar crystalline mineral-like structures formed underwater by methane in conditions of extreme cold and high pressure. They were implicated in the equipment failures that led to the Deep Horizons drill rig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of the ocean bottom are littered with these things. Warming ocean waters could cause these clathrates ro break down, suddenly releasing vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere, and CH4 is a much more effective greenhouse gas than CO2. I don't believe any of these situations is necessarily a serious threat to the biosphere, but when there are rapidly changing planetary conditions (in geological time scales) these kinds of unforeseen events tend to manifest themselves unexpectedly--and interact synergistically. Sooner or later we're bound to experience one, or some combination, that triggers an irreversible runaway cascade of bad shit. Maybe its just the Earth's immune system starting to react to a bad infection. Clathrates are those peculiar crystalline mineral-like structures formed underwater by methane in conditions of extreme cold and high pressure. They were implicated in the equipment failures that led to the Deep Horizons drill rig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of the ocean bottom are littered with these things.

Warming ocean waters could cause these clathrates ro break down, suddenly releasing vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere, and CH4 is a much more effective greenhouse gas than CO2.

I don’t believe any of these situations is necessarily a serious threat to the biosphere, but when there are rapidly changing planetary conditions (in geological time scales) these kinds of unforeseen events tend to manifest themselves unexpectedly–and interact synergistically. Sooner or later we’re bound to experience one, or some combination, that triggers an irreversible runaway cascade of bad shit.

Maybe its just the Earth’s immune system starting to react to a bad infection.

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2017/03/07/just-in-march-piomas-arctice-sea-ice-volume-figures/#comment-38528 RL Wed, 08 Mar 2017 04:42:38 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=62589#comment-38528 And unfortunately we have reached the tipping point where positive feedback is coming into play: <a href="http://inhabitat.com/dramatic-disintegration-of-canada-permafrost-threatens-huge-carbon-release/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://inhabitat.com/dramatic-disintegration-of-canada-permafrost-threatens-huge-carbon-release/</a> <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/02/28/siberias-doorway-underworld-rapidly-growing-size/#32b772ad6599" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/02/28/siberias-doorway-underworld-rapidly-growing-size/#32b772ad6599</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/30/the-ground-beneath-our-feet-is-poised-to-make-global-warming-much-worse-scientists-find/?utm_term=.7f7253a8d955" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/30/the-ground-beneath-our-feet-is-poised-to-make-global-warming-much-worse-scientists-find/?utm_term=.7f7253a8d955</a> And unfortunately we have reached the tipping point where positive feedback is coming into play:
http://inhabitat.com/dramatic-disintegration-of-canada-permafrost-threatens-huge-carbon-release/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/02/28/siberias-doorway-underworld-rapidly-growing-size/#32b772ad6599

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/30/the-ground-beneath-our-feet-is-poised-to-make-global-warming-much-worse-scientists-find/?utm_term=.7f7253a8d955

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