Over 500 Methane Vents Found on Atlantic Ocean Floor Off the US East Coast

[unhappycamper]

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8699/20140825/over-500-methane-found-atlantic-ocean-floor-east-coast.htm



The Atlantic Ocean floor off the U.S. East Coast has over 500 methane vents, a new study has found.

Over 500 Methane Vents Found on Atlantic Ocean Floor Off the US East Coast
By Staff Reporter
Aug 25, 2014 04:02 AM EDT

The study, conducted by researchers at the Mississippi State University, shows that large amount of methane leaking from the seafloor might be contributing to global warming.

"It is the first time we have seen this level of seepage outside the Arctic that is not associated with features like oil or gas reservoirs or active tectonic margins," said Prof Adam Skarke from Mississippi State University, lead author of the study, according to BBC News.

The team said that they have found the vents, but haven't analyzed the gas released by these sites. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the gas is methane, BBC News reports.

The leaks were spotted in an area between North Carolina and Massachusetts. The researchers say that as much as 90 tonnes of the planet-warming gas might be released into the atmosphere each year via these vents, according to Scientific American.

[hatrack]

1. Oops . . .

.

[Yo_Mama]

2. They've been there - they just hadn't been noticed

They think that almost all of them are from bacterial activity.

[NickB79]

3. Yes, but we've been warming the deep Atlantic waters

And when you expose methane-generating bacteria to warmer temps, and they start metabolizing faster......