Someday we'll find it; the methane-climate connection

One of the more radical hypotheses surrounding anthropogenic climate change involves oceanic methane. Projected increases in bottom water temperature are hypothesized to liberate globally significant quantities of methane from the seafloor. While substantial geologic evidence suggests that such releases have previously occurred influencing global carbon cycles and greenhouse gas budgets profoundly, the mechanism (s) controlling the atmospheric expression of a seafloor release are unknown. Thus, it is unknown under what future conditions oceanic methane and climate may once again be connected. For example, recent investigations are showing that processes of dissolution and dispersion help retain released methane in ocean waters, microbial oxidation efficiently converts methane to CO2, and in areas where methane-derived CO2 reaches the surface ocean, primary production helps keep this carbon perturbation from the atmosphere. This presentation will detail our efforts to find the methane-climate connection through advances in technology, field and laboratory measurements, and regional/isotopic modeling.

Speaker: John Kessler, Univ. of Rochester