Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Mysterious Siberian Crater Attributed to Methane

Nature reports Mysterious Siberian crater attributed to methane "A mystery crater spotted in the frozen Yamal peninsula in Siberia earlier this month was probably caused by methane released as permafrost thawed, researchers in Russia say."

See also, First pictures from inside the 'crater at the end of the world'

The Washington Post adds a little context, Scientists may have cracked the giant Siberian crater mystery — and the news isn’t good "Some scientists contend the thawing of such terrain, rife with centuries of carbon, would release incredible amounts of methane gas and affect global temperatures. “Pound for pound, the comparative impact of [methane gas] on climate change is over 20 times greater than [carbon dioxide] over a 100-year period,” reported the Environmental Protection Agency."

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