Methane Spewing Microbe Blamed

Discussion in 'News from around the damp planet' started by 9anda1f, Apr 1, 2014.

  1. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2006
    Messages:
    3,046
    Likes Received:
    200
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    E Washington, USA
    Climate:
    Semi-Arid Shrub Steppe (BsK)
    So, if methane belching microbes caused the largest species die-off ever ... and currently global warming threatens to loose mega-tons of methane currently locked up in permafrost ... and all the methane clathrate locked up in the cold ocean depths ... what are we really in for???

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/...crobe-blamed-in-earths-worst-mass-extinction/
     
  2. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,984
    Likes Received:
    20
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Methane Hydrate, caused by making methane at depth in the ocean I thought was already dismissed as a viable fuel due to the inability to extract it safely. I also know this year researchers have found 5 new greenhouse gases.

    Humans might not survive in their present form, but the Earth will, and that is oddly more important to me.
     
  3. Lumbuck Thornton

    Lumbuck Thornton Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2011
    Messages:
    278
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    It reminds me of the joke.....

    Big native indian chief in writhing with stomach wind pain sends warrior to the tribal medicine man.
    “Big Chief, No Fart” he says.
    Medicine man gives him a little bottle of medicine mixture.
    Next day, “Big Chief, Still No Fart - Need more medicine”
    Medicine man gives him a bowl of medicine.
    Next day, “Big Chief, Still No Fart - Need more medicine”
    Medicine man gives him a wheelbarrow of medicine.

    The next day the worrior is back again....
    “Big Fart....No Chief!":rofl:

    Maybe the our world chiefs better start taking climate change and looking at the medicine more seriously.

    Ironic that laughing about sustainable and biodegradable culture that has lasted many times longer than western civilisation with a fraction of the impact is needed to teach us a lesson. I wonder if they laugh about us? Laughter is important.
     
  4. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2009
    Messages:
    1,665
    Likes Received:
    94
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Gender:
    Female
    Occupation:
    s/e
    Location:
    South Waikato New ZeLeand
    Climate:
    Cool mountain
    I noticed the term...hypothesis ....and 250 odd million years ago....in the article.

    I'd love a job where I could just dream sh..stuff up and get paid for it.
    With all the technology and research they have to hand, this is what they can come up with? C'mon!!
    So bugs killed off between 70% and 90% of living things 252 million years ago?

    I'm not a marine biologist so I am not sure, but I question the statement about the cause being from organic carbon being consumed by microbe as the cause. From the little I have read, there is not alot of organic anything on/in the ocean sediment.
    I could be wrong, its been a long time since I took an interest in this field.

    Simple fact is, they still do not know what caused the mass extinctions from that time period.
    I cannot see how, bugs all of a sudden, started to eat and fart across the entire planet, enough to wipe just about everything out.
    That just doesnt make sense.

    Does that mean that the current rise in acidity in the oceans is also caused by microbes and not human activity?
    Are we off the hook now?
     
  5. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,984
    Likes Received:
    20
    Trophy Points:
    38
    No you are not off the hook, the scientist read his data wrong imo.

    The animals died, then the insects gorged and multiplied on carrion world wide, which then lead to the excessive methane. Being that our scientific equipment isnt sensitive enough to know if insects killed them all, or my version happened, I would then rely on logic and look at what happens when there is a horrific wipe out of animals in a given area.
     
  6. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2013
    Messages:
    1,791
    Likes Received:
    148
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Occupation:
    gardening, reading, etc
    Location:
    near St. Charles, MI, USoA
    Home Page:
    Climate:
    -15C-35C, 10cm rain/mo, clay, full sun, K-G Dfa=x=Dfb
    i thought the most likely reasons were mass volcanic eruptions which warmed those waters enough to release the accumulated methane.

    the various hot spots around the world may not be stable. like if the one shifted from under Yellowstone a few thousand miles north to the Arctic Ocean then what would that do to all those hydrates and the permafrosts?

    i can't recall when the large single continent supposedly broke up, but that too would be an interesting change in the ocean currents, if you ever get a situation where previously cold ocean bottoms had warm water redirected over them then... way back there were certainly fewer interruptions and redirections of water flows than there are now.
     
  7. Unmutual

    Unmutual Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    Messages:
    599
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Bold my emphasis.

    I'm not really sure why we expect humans to survive far in to the future anyway. 5 mass extinctions should tell anyone that the probability is low no matter how smart we think we are, couple that with the relative climactic calm period we're in. It's nice to think that we're going to be around for more than 2+ million years, but the Homo sapiens line will end sooner or later either through evolution or extinction. I see no reason to think that Homo sapiens are at the apex of evolution, no matter how well we think of ourselves. It would be nice of us to finally realize that the universe wasn't created just for our own benefit and to leave the place better than we found it for the next dominant species, even if it isn't Homo something-or-another.
     

Share This Page

-->