Friday, December 21, 2012

Methane contributes to accelerated warming in the Arctic


Above combination image featured earlier in the post Striking increase of methane in the Arctic. The images were produced by Dr. Leonid Yurganov, Senior Research Scientist, JCET, UMBC, who presented his findings at the AGU Fall Meeting 2012. The image below gives an update for 2012, showing an image with methane levels at 600 hPa.


Temperature anomalies on the inset on above image are averages for the full month November, whereas the methane levels displayed on the left are for the first ten days of November only. Using temperature maps for the same periods in such comparisons may result in even more striking simularities between methane levels and temperatures. For a more complete picture, further comparisons between November 2008 and November 2012 are added, for days 11-20 (below),


and for days 21-30 (below).


The images show that the highest methane levels show up above the water, as opposed to above land, indicating that methane is being released from the seabed across the Arctic.

Temperatures have meanwhile changed. In November 2012, there were high temperature anomalies in east Siberia. There now are very low temperatures throughout Siberia, as illustrated by the Wunderground map below, which shows high temperatures. Temperatures as low as -60.5°F (-51.4°C) were recorded in Susuman, east Siberia, both on December 13th and 17th, 2012.


The now hugely deformed polar jet stream and high levels of methane in the Arctic are only two out of numerous feedbacks that contribute to accelerate warming in the Arctic. Without rapid action, we can expect such wild swings in temperature to get even worse, making more extreme weather the new norm.

8 comments:

  1. Major change in ONE year! We must do all we can as quickly as we can to attempt to halt this "Global Warming."

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  2. Based on speed of change happening and size of anomaly accelerating, Earth by all rights should be declared in Runaway not to force action to halt it from fear but because it would be interesting and fun to try and keep Earth alive.
    It is my experience that when stuff too big in danger to face squarely happens without certainly causing freeze of ability to take action, it is good to drop back to established plan of action and implement it. Strategic Action Plan is made but speed of change happening means there is no time or gray area to this.
    Either we as humans take action immediately full throttle to choke methane off or this house, our Earth, God's good Earth comes tumbling down taking life out.

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  3. Some may think they can surf the wave of danger coming as if they can go out to meet the rising swell of Earth temperature rise with expensive surf board.
    But the situation is and the fact is that the perfect storm coming will make the Sea surface soup with no clear wave breaking. Unless we see deadly danger.
    Unless we work together while we still have chance to head off perfect storm..
    Unless we have friends working as one to keep the Ocean rise coming in control the lessons learned from the Universe's experiment of Earth will now live 2C..
    Peace is needed and a switch in the valuation of money to align industry and enterprise to what's needed to keep Earth alive..

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  4. Where should i go to get the full November composition?

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    Replies
    1. Good point, I have meanwhile added two images underneath, to give a more complete picture of the November 2012 methane levels.

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  5. Video: Tipping Points in Earth Climate System - 2012 Arctic Methane Special http://climatestate.com/item/tipping-points-in-earth-climate-system-2012-arctic-methane-special-2.html

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  6. The simultaneous US 'fiscal cliff' at large and rapid recognition of Arctic as also going over the top but for Real and irreversibly so in short order means proponents of sort of parallel thinking are in two parks playing.. Now Casey's not going to come to bat and no knight in shining armor will save the day but simply an idea getting out there on line will spread like wildfire -solve both.
    Use one to fuel a way to keep Earth alive while using the stimulus to live on..
    Internet access allows people to come up to speed and unite to keep earth home.
    This is a test and a game 2C if we are bright enough to see it would be fun try.

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  7. Extreme weather continues: The German weather service recorded some of the highest temperatures ever for Christmas Eve in the country. Berlin reached 12.7 degrees, the highest on the holiday ever recorded since the German Weather Service began tracking such data in 1876. Bavaria recorded 20-degree Celsius (68-degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures and France reached temperatures of 24.3 degrees Celsius. Moscow reported temperatures on Boxing Day of minus 25 degrees Celsius and in Siberia temperatures were reported in recent days as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius. [source: Spiegel.de]

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