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Arctic Ocean methane does not reach the atmosphere

May 27, 2016 Source: CAGE – Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Climate and Environment Summary: 250 methane flares release the climate gas methane from the seabed and into the Arctic Ocean. During the summer months this leads to an increased methane concentration in the ocean. But surprisingly, very little of the climate gas rising up through the sea reaches the atmosphere, report investigators.

250 methane flares release the climate gas methane from the seabed and into the Arctic Ocean. During the summer months this leads to an increased methane concentration in the ocean. But surprisingly, very little of the climate gas rising up through the sea reaches the atmosphere.

“Our results are exciting and controversial,” says senior scientist Cathrine Lund Myhre from NILU — Norwegian Institute for Air Research, who is cooperating with CAGE through MOCA project.

The results were published in Geophysical Research Letters.

The scientist performed simultaneous measurements close to seabed, in the ocean and in the atmosphere during an extensive ship and air campaign offshore Svalbard Archipelago in summer 2014. As of today, three independent models employing the marine and atmospheric measurements show that the methane emissions from the sea bed in the area did not significantly affect the atmosphere.

“This is an important message to bring to the debate on the state of the ocean and atmospheric system in the Arctic. It is also important to emphasize that the Arctic has in recent years experienced major changes and average temperatures well above normal values. A thorough description of the present state of the Arctic environment, possible only with adequate measurements, is essential to the detection of future changes of potentially global significance.” says Lund Myhre.

Methane increase since 2006

Levels of methane in the atmosphere have risen by an average of 6 parts per billion (ppb) globally per year since 2006, and slightly more over the Arctic and Norway. Since methane is the most important greenhouse gas after CO2, it is very important to explore why.

CAGE – Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Climate and Environment. “Arctic Ocean methane does not reach the atmosphere.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 May 2016. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160527112654.htm>.

C. Lund Myhre, B. Ferré, S. M. Platt, A. Silyakova, O. Hermansen, G. Allen, I. Pisso, N. Schmidbauer, A. Stohl, J. Pitt, P. Jansson, J. Greinert, C. Percival, A. M. Fjaeraa, S. J. O’Shea, M. Gallagher, M. Le Breton, K. N. Bower, S. J. B. Bauguitte, S. Dalsøren, S. Vadakkepuliyambatta, R. E. Fisher, E. G. Nisbet, D. Lowry, G. Myhre, J. A. Pyle, M. Cain, J. Mienert. Extensive release of methane from Arctic seabed west of Svalbard during summer 2014 does not influence the atmosphere. Geophysical Research Letters, 2016; 43 (9): 4624 DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068999

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Food waste is a global problem – Yale Climate Connections

Monday, May 30, 2016

A third of all food never makes it to a plate. The reason depends on where you live.

Each year, a third of all food produced around the world never makes it to anyone’s plate. That’s more than a billion tons of food, wasted.

And it has a big effect on the climate. If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter of global-warming pollution.

All that pollution comes from the energy used to plant, grow, and harvest crops, then ship and process all the food. And then there’s all the methane that’s released when wasted food breaks down in a landfill.

The causes of food waste, however, are different in different parts of the world according to Tim Searchinger, a research scholar at Princeton University.

Tim Searchinger

SEARCHINGER: “In Africa, a majority occurs closer to the farm, basically in the handling and storage and harvesting stages.”

Because they lack equipment, many African farmers cannot quickly harvest their crops when bad weather strikes. And refrigeration and proper storage are often limited, so food rots before it can reach the market.

SEARCHINGER: “In the U.S., most of the food loss and waste occurs either at the grocery store level or in the consumer level.”

One-third of the world’s food goes uneaten. Click To Tweet

So Americans can make a difference by buying just what we need, eating leftovers, and composting. The results will help our wallets and the planet.

Reporting credit: Andrew Lapin/ChavoBart Digital Media.
Globe photo: Copyright protected.

More Resources
FAQs on Food Waste
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Food Loss and Food Waste

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Scientists succeed in mapping structure of Zika

CCTV Africa

Published on May 29, 2016

A team of international scientists in the US state of Indiana say they’ve been able to map – for the first time – the structure of the Zika virus. It’s not quite the cure many are waiting for. But it does, they say, bring that cure one step closer. Zika has been affecting Souh America the worst – but cases have been reported in Africa too.

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South African initiative helps alleviate plight of the homeless

CCTV Africa

Published on May 29, 2016

One man in Cape Town’s doing his bit to address hunger. Andy Loughton runs a barter system that allows homeless people to do various types of work, in exchange for a meal or even blankets.

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Refugees contemplate ‘inevitable’ need to relocate

CCTV Africa

Published on May 29, 2016

This past week saw a renewed debate on the Kenya’s decision to close its refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of people will be affected. The United Nations is calling on Nairobi to reconsider. But Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says those camps WILL close by May next year. He’s been calling on the international community to assist Kenya.

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