Chinese dam may be a methane menaceSeptember 30th, 2009 LONDON - A new research by scientists has found that a particular dam in China could be producing tonnes of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to a report in Nature News, marshes in the drawdown area of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China could be a significant source of methane.
"Supervillain" CO2 has "henchmen" like NO2 and methane to amplify global warmingSeptember 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have said that in the fight against global warming, "supervillain" carbon dioxide (CO2) should not be solely targeted, as there are harmful greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane, which are the "henchmen" of CO2. According to a report in National Geographic News, several "henchmen" gases-some even more potent than CO2-have also been building up in Earth's atmosphere.
Global warming may initiate release of underground methane into atmosphereSeptember 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists are worrying that rising global temperatures accompanied by melting permafrost in arctic regions will initiate the release of underground methane into the atmosphere. Once released, that methane gas would speed up global warming by trapping the Earth's heat radiation about 20 times more efficiently than does the better-known greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2).
On continent's boggy Arctic fringe, scientists search for signs of future climate calamityAugust 30th, 2009 Climate trouble may be bubbling up in far northMACKENZIE RIVER DELTA, Northwest Territories — Only a squawk from a sandhill crane broke the Arctic silence — and a low gurgle of bubbles, a watery whisper of trouble repeated in countless spots around the polar world. "On a calm day, you can see 20 or more 'seeps' out across this lake," said Canadian researcher Rob Bowen, sidling his small rubber boat up beside one of them.
Stressed crops emit more methane emissions than previously thoughtAugust 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at the University of Calgary (U of C) in Canada have found that methane emission by stressed crops could be a bigger problem in global warming than previously thought. According to a U of C study, when crops are exposed to environmental factors that are part of climate change - increased temperature, drought and ultraviolet-B radiation - some plants show enhanced methane emissions.
Plants under stress emit more methane, worsen global warmingAugust 18th, 2009 TORONTO - Methane emission by plants in dry or drought prone areas could aggravate global warming more than previously suspected, says a new study. A University of Calgary (U-C) study warns that plants exposed to environmental factors -- rising temperature, drought and ultraviolet-B radiation -- show enhanced methane emissions.
Heating of Arctic current contributes to global warmingAugust 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that the warming of the northward-flowing West Spitsbergen current in the Arctic over the last thirty years has contributed to global warming by triggering the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from methane hydrate stored in the sediment beneath the seabed. Methane hydrate is an ice-like substance composed of water and methane, which is stable in conditions of high pressure and low temperature.
Carbon deposits in Arctic could worsen climate changeJuly 6th, 2009 TORONTO - Vast amounts of carbon, about twice as much as contained in the atmosphere, is stored in the Arctic, according to a new study. The amount of carbon in frozen soils, sediments and river deltas raises new concerns over the role of the northern regions as future sources of greenhouse gases.
Super-size deposits of frozen carbon in Arctic a growing threat to climateJuly 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has estimated that the vast amount of carbon stored in the arctic and boreal regions of the world is more than double that previously estimated, which raises new concerns over the role of the northern regions as future sources of greenhouse gases. "We now estimate the deposits contain over 1.5 trillion tons of frozen carbon, about twice as much carbon as contained in the atmosphere," said Dr.
Global warming may increase dispersal of flora in Northern forestsJune 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has indicated that an increase in temperature of only a couple of degrees may increase the dispersal of plants in Northern forests and the spread of plant species into forest clearings after felling or forest fires. The research, in the impact of global warming on seed and pollen dispersal, was led by University of Helsinki researcher Anna Kuparinen.
Nobel laureate Al Gore says unchecked global ice melt could push planet toward "tipping pointApril 28th, 2009 Al Gore calls for prompt action on melting iceOSLO — Al Gore said Tuesday the world must act quickly to slow the melting of the world's polar ice packs and glaciers before it reaches a critical rate for global warming. "We have to act and we have to act quickly because we don't want to cross this tipping point," the Nobel peace laureate and former U.S.
New electrical device can turn CO2 into biofuelApril 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers in the US have made a new electrical device that could improve fuel cell technology by turning carbon dioxide (CO2) into methane, a potential biofuel. According to a report in ABC News, the technique won't combat global warming directly, since both CO2 and methane are potent greenhouse gases, but it could help store alternative energies such as wind and solar more efficiently.
Wetlands likely source of methane from warming event 11,600 years agoApril 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by an international team of scientists has determined that an expansion of wetlands and not a large-scale melting of frozen methane deposits is the likely cause of a spike in atmospheric methane gas that took place some 11,600 years ago. The international research team was led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC (University of California) San Diego.
Methane more stable in a warming world than previously thoughtApril 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research of ice cores by scientists, it has been revealed that a vast, potential source of the potent greenhouse gas, methane, is more stable in a warming world than previously thought. The finding includes Australian contributions from CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
Fish oils can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cowsMarch 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, researchers from University College Dublin have achieved a reduction in the amount of methane released by cattle, by including 2 percent fish oil in the diet of the animals. The benefits to animals of omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils have been well documented - helping the heart and circulatory system, improving meat quality and reducing methane emissions.
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