RSS Feeds

Earth Science

Space Science

Life Science

Fields of Scientific Study

Nanotechnology

Cancer

Definitions of The Fields of Scientific Study

Ancient climate switch could signify sharp increase in today's global temperature

November 24, 2004

A paper published in today's Nature suggests that global warming could rapidly accelerate due to a positive feedback mechanism caused by water vapour or rainfall. The paper, which examines a period of rapid climate change 55 million years ago, during the Paleocene and Eocene, offers a clear indication of how gradual global warming can rapidly speed up, causing catastrophic effects.

Until recently, the prevailing view was that the temperature rise during the Paleocene/Eocene, of between five and ten degrees Celsius, was caused by a massive release of methane from the sea floor. Methane is a greenhouse gas, capable of causing a rise in temperature. However, work by scientists from the Universities of Sheffield and California, began to cast doubt on this theory, and further investigation found a new reason for this rapid change in climate.

Professor David Beerling, from the University of Sheffield and co-author the study explains, "Methane is an easy gas to look for as it leaves a negative isotope trail behind, meaning that we can detect a methane release event in sediments from any given era.

"When we examined sediments from across the Paleocene-Eocene boundary we found that methane had left a far bigger signature behind in sediments on land than in the sea. This effect was replicated across several continents. Our challenge was to explain why this amplification on land had occurred.

"Methane's geochemical signature would only be higher in terrestrial sediments if plants had had more water available to them, either from the air in water vapour, or due to increased rainfall. When this occurs plants are able to photosynthesise better, which changes the isotopes they deposit on the ground in the form of dead matter. This, in turn affects the magnitude of the methane signature then found in the fossilized sediments.

These results suggest that a gradual increase in temperature causes a switch to a more humid/wetter climate state, which in turn amplifies global warming, causing it to warm more quickly. This can lead to sudden and dramatic increases in global temperature.

"The relevance of this research for today is that we are currently going through a similar process of gradual global warming to that that occurred during the Paleocene/Eocene. It suggests that the planet could again experience a rapid rise in temperature, if water vapour increases and amplifies the effects of current global warming.

"Scientists predicting the future effects of climate change rely upon computer models, since we have never lived through this kind of change before. However, by looking back to what has happened in the past we can better predict and test our models of future climatic change."

Sheffield, University of

Related Methane Current Events and Methane News Articles

Methane Current Events and Methane News RSS

Beyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss
Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight - creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5,000 meters (~3 miles) below the ocean waves.

Energy-saving powder
It is currently estimated that natural gas resources will be exhausted in 130 years; however, those reserves where extraction is cost-effective will only flow for another 60 years or so.

Health care accounts for 8 percent of US carbon footprint
The American health care sector accounts for nearly a tenth of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, according to a first-of-its-kind calculation of health care's carbon footprint.

Interactions with aerosols boost warming potential of some gases
For decades, climate scientists have worked to identify and measure key substances -- notably greenhouse gases and aerosol particles -- that affect Earth's climate.

Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use
A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them.

Caltech researchers reveal unexpected sources of nitrogen fixation
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have identified an unexpected metabolic ability within a symbiotic community of microorganisms that may help solve a lingering mystery about the world's nitrogen-cycling budget.

Arctic land and seas account for up to 25 percent of world's carbon sink
In a new study in the journal Ecological Monographs, ecologists estimate that Arctic lands and oceans are responsible for up to 25 percent of the global net sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Coal-mining hazard resembles explosive volcanic eruption, study shows
Worldwide, thousands of workers die every year from mining accidents, and instantaneous coal outbursts in underground mines are among the major killers. But although scientists have been investigating coal outbursts for more than 150 years, the precise mechanism is still unknown.

Mystery Solved: Marine Microbe Is Source of Rare Nutrient
A new study of microscopic marine microbes, called phytoplankton, by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of South Carolina has solved a ten-year-old mystery about the source of an essential nutrient in the ocean.

Denver to Barcelona: Global cities and greenhouse gas emissions
Denver released the largest amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) and Barcelona the smallest amount in a new study documenting how differences in climate, population density and other factors affect GHG emissions in global cities.

More Methane Current Events and Methane News Articles

	Methane Generation from Human, Animal, and Agricultural Wastes by National Academy of Sciences (Author) This book deals with the need for alternative energy supplies. Our fossil fuel reserves will eventually be exhausted. Moreover, these reserves are unequally distributed and are becoming too costly for many countries that must purchase them. In addition, the cost of transportation may sharply limit the use of fossil fuels in the rural areas of many developing countries. And, as recent events have shown, the cost – and the availability – of these fuels is determined less by market forces than by the decision of the producing nations. This report is devoted to the development of an alternative energy resource suitable for individual or village use in a rural environment. An ideal resource is one that is local in origin and can produce energy useful for this purpose depending only...
	Cardiovascular Research - Dim-Sum (Di-Indole Methane), 50mg, 60 capsules by Cardiovascular Research
	Stone Temple Pilots 2008 Concert Poster by Methane Studios
	21st Century Essential Guide to Methane and Biogas: Landfill Methane and Manure for Energy, AgStar Program, Recovery and Mitigation, Greenhouse Gas Emissions ... Biofuels, Bioenergy, and Biobased Products by World Spaceflight News (Author) This up-to-date electronic book on CD-ROM contains a great collection of documents and publications from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on methane and biogas, greenhouse gas emissions and sources, and related topics, including the AgStar Program, the use of agricultural material and manure for methane and biogas production, methane recovery and emission mitigation, carbon cycle science, black carbon, carbon sequestration in agriculture and forestry. This is part of our comprehensive series of discs and ringbound documents on renewable energy, biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products. This incredible CD-ROM has nearly 9,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct...
	SafetySiren Family Safety Combustible Gas (Propane Methane) Detector by SafetySiren Detects dangerous levels of Methane and Propane gas. Computerized calibration helps eliminate false alarms. Built-in self-diagnostics assures the unit is operating properly. Easily plugs into any standard 110-120v AC electrical outlet and samples the air every 2-1/2 minutes. UL 1484 Certified. Lock tab feature makes the detector tamper proof. Advanced surface mount circuitry increases reliability. Powerful 85dB Alarm. 5 year warranty.
	Oakley Men's Methane 2 Sandal,New Khaki,10 M US by Oakley Blow away the competition with the sporty Methane 2 sandals from Oakley. Premium leather upper in a casual flip-flop sandal style with a round open toe. Flexible nylon fabric toe thong post. Leather instep straps with inset fabric and RED CODE(TM) technology for the comfortable feel of an athletic shoe. Fabric lining, contoured footbed. Shock-absorbing EVA midsole, rubber traction outsole.
	History -- Mega Disasters: Methane Explosion Also With: Creative Differences (Producer) The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history was caused by a gigantic eruption of methane gas from deep in the oceans 250 million years ago. That's the theory of a Northwestern University scientist, who says similar, if smaller, disasters have occurred This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
	Cud Chewing Cows - Volume One - "Udderly Content" (Special Edition) [CD on Demand] by Cud Chewing Cows Somewhere on Earth, where Classical Music, Jazz, Blues, Rock and Folk meet in the middle of some universal musical nexus to combine and fuse to create a unique sound, there's a group that has taken shape in the form of Cud Chewing Cows. Bovine Bob is a classically trained musician with a down-home flair for feel-good-music. When Bo, as his friends call him, met Jim Jersey, they decided to make a band which became complete with the arrivals of Harry Hereford, Henry Holstein and Big Bobby Brown-Swiss collectively known as the Cud Chewing Cows (3C or CCC). The music's Jazz and Blues influences, blended with instruments from around the world, creates a Rock-Folk blend which exudes happiness and contentment. 3C (or CCC), has recently gained notoriety and has become a spiritual...
	Umphrey's McGee Concert Poster by Methane Studios
	Dune Methane [Explicit] Hieroglyphics (Primary Contributor)