Abstracts on Global Climate Change

Mar 2005

Global warming and the mining of oceanic methane hydrate

Lai, CCA Dietrich, DE Bowman, MJ


The impacts of global warming oil the environment. economy and society are presently receiving much attention by the international community. However, the extent to which anthropogenic factors are the main cause of global warming, is still being, debated. There are obviously large stakes associated with the validity of any theory since that will indicate what actions need to be taken to protect the human race’s only home-Earth. Most studies of global warming have investigated the rates and quantities of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial revolution. In this paper, We focus on the earth’s carbon budget and the associated energy transfer between various components of the climate system. This research invokes some new concepts: (i) certain biochemical processes which strongly interact with geophysical processes in climate system: (ii) a hypothesis that internal processes in the oceans rather than in the atmosphere are Lit the center of global warming; (iii) chemical energy stored in biochemical processes call significantly affect ocean dynamics and therefore the climate system. Based oil those concepts. we propose a new hypothesis for global warming. We also propose I revolutionary strategy to deal with global climate change and provide domestic energy security at the same time. Recent ocean exploration indicates that huge deposits of oceanic methane hydrate deposits exist on the seafloor on continental margins. Methane hydrate transforms into water and methane gas when it dissociates. So, this potentially could provide the United States with energy security if the technology for mining in the 200-mile EEZ is developed and is economically viable. Further, methane hydrate is a relatively environmentally, benign, clean fuel. Such technology would help industry reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, I rid thus reduce global warming by harnessing, the energy from the deep sea.

timlambert:endorseimp | /endorse/endorseimp | 370