Vast methane plumes spotted bubbling up from the Arctic Ocean floor
Scientists are starting to see what appears to be methane hydrates on the ocean floor “melting” and releasing large amounts of methane gas. This not only serves as a possible indicator of global warming – the methane hydrates are stable so long as they are kept cold, but the oceans are warming, in places enough to melt formerly frozen hydrates – it also serves as potentially Bad News in that methane makes a more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Methane is a tiny contributor to warming now, but if more methane is released, it could speed up warming. Which will speed up methane hydrate melting, which will speed up methane release, which will speed up warming…
There are some possible actions that can be taken to alleviate this issue, at least in part:
1) Nukes. Lots and lots of nukes. As always, nukes.
2) Europe uses a whole lot of natural gas from Russia. But Russia has taken to acting like a dick lately. So… perhaps efforts could be instituted to switch over to ocean-floor methane. Cover the floor in vast plastic tarps; the methane released below will be captured, will try to rise up and “inflate” the tarp, and it can be tapped off. Realistic? Easy? Cost effective? Probably not. But if it’s “fund Putin” on one hand or “fight global warming DOOOOM” on the other, it seems a simple enough equation.