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Short version: "Siberia is warming. Permafrost thaws and spews methane, and blasts out a burst of highly flammable gas." The consequences of that can include:

Short version: "Siberia is warming. Permafrost thaws and spews methane, and blasts out a burst of highly flammable gas." The consequences of that can include: Russia's economy being broken due to a main export literally vanishing into thin air. And worse: Green house gases getting into the atmosphere in vast amounts.

speeder 12y ago
When I read it I also wondered: "Why noone is pointing out that methane emissions also increase global warming?" I have no idea ho much methane can be released, since I don't even know how much Russia is mining or anything like that... But it sounds a lot (since in Ukraine crisis Russian gas is a big point), so if all that leaks out it would greatly accelerate global warming no? (thus releasing even more gas!)
- phkahler 12y ago
  >> Why noone is pointing out that methane emissions also increase global warming? Methane produces a much stronger greenhouse effect than CO2, so the obvious solution is to capture it and use it for fuel, which will convert it to CO2.
  - cozzyd 12y ago
    So we have to firebomb the craters?
    - wavefunction 12y ago
      Wouldn't that be too much, too late? The idea is to capture it before it escapes its previously permafrosted enclosure.
      - gizmo686 12y ago
        The idea is that if we cannot capture it, we should at least convert it to a less harmful gas (CO2).
        jfoster 12y ago
        Wouldn't the conversion process cause explosions that potentially release much more methane than would otherwise have been released?
  - agapos 12y ago
    Methane is indeed a stronger greenhouse gas, but it also has a much shorter 'lifespan' of 8-10 years.
gus_massa 12y ago
> The consequences of that can include: Russia's economy being broken due to a main export literally vanishing into thin air. As far as I know, the methane from the permafrost is not commercially exploited. It's left there frozen, so this doesn't affect the Russian economy unless one of this "explosions" hits a building.
- agapos 12y ago
  The currently mined gas deposits in Siberia are at least 600 meters below the ground level, normally deeper (generally at 1-2 km). The thickness of permafrost in most areas is a few ten meters, with the more cold areas reaching 300-450 meters, so there little to no overlap between the two. This PDF contains a few numbers for those interested: http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/ICOP/40770716/CD-ROM/Proceedings/PDF001189/151104.pdf http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/ICOP/40770716/CD-ROM/Proceedi...

speeder 12y ago

When I read it I also wondered: "Why noone is pointing out that methane emissions also increase global warming?" I have no idea ho much methane can be released, since I don't even know how much Russia is mining or anything like that... But it sounds a lot (since in Ukraine crisis Russian gas is a big point), so if all that leaks out it would greatly accelerate global warming no? (thus releasing even more gas!)

phkahler 12y ago
>> Why noone is pointing out that methane emissions also increase global warming? Methane produces a much stronger greenhouse effect than CO2, so the obvious solution is to capture it and use it for fuel, which will convert it to CO2.
- cozzyd 12y ago
  So we have to firebomb the craters?
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    Wouldn't that be too much, too late? The idea is to capture it before it escapes its previously permafrosted enclosure.
    - gizmo686 12y ago
      The idea is that if we cannot capture it, we should at least convert it to a less harmful gas (CO2).
      - jfoster 12y ago
        Wouldn't the conversion process cause explosions that potentially release much more methane than would otherwise have been released?
- agapos 12y ago
  Methane is indeed a stronger greenhouse gas, but it also has a much shorter 'lifespan' of 8-10 years.

gus_massa 12y ago

> The consequences of that can include: Russia's economy being broken due to a main export literally vanishing into thin air. As far as I know, the methane from the permafrost is not commercially exploited. It's left there frozen, so this doesn't affect the Russian economy unless one of this "explosions" hits a building.

agapos 12y ago
The currently mined gas deposits in Siberia are at least 600 meters below the ground level, normally deeper (generally at 1-2 km). The thickness of permafrost in most areas is a few ten meters, with the more cold areas reaching 300-450 meters, so there little to no overlap between the two. This PDF contains a few numbers for those interested: http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/ICOP/40770716/CD-ROM/Proceedings/PDF001189/151104.pdf http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/ICOP/40770716/CD-ROM/Proceedi...