Tag

Methane

All articles tagged with #methane

science11 days ago•5 min saved

Volcanic Plume Reveals a Natural Route to Methane Destruction in the Atmosphere

Scientists studying the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption found a high-altitude chemical reaction—driven by volcanic ash, seawater salt, and sunlight—that produced chlorine radicals capable of destroying methane in the stratosphere. Satellites tracked a lasting formaldehyde signal and estimated about 900 tons/day of methane removal, though far more methane entered the atmosphere than was destroyed. The work shows methane oxidation can be measured from orbit, with implications for methane budgets and potential future deliberate removal.

via Indian Defence Review|

#atmosphere #chlorine-radicals #methane

science13 days ago•5 min saved

Volcanic Plume Reveals Chlorine-Driven Methane Cleanup in the Atmosphere

Researchers analyzing the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption found unusually high formaldehyde in the plume, indicating methane was being rapidly destroyed by chlorine radicals formed in sunlight-activated reactions. The study demonstrates a natural methane-removal pathway in volcanic plumes and quantifies about 900 metric tons per day of methane destroyed—far less than the eruption’s total methane output—while suggesting chlorine-mediated methane destruction could inform future atmospheric cleanup research, though practical application remains uncertain.

via ScienceAlert|

#atmosphere #chlorine #formaldehyde

science15 days ago•3 min saved

Volcanic plume may act as a methane cleaner, study finds

A 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcano released about 330 gigagrams of methane but simultaneously destroyed roughly 900 megagrams per day through chlorine-driven reactions in the plume, with methane breakdown detectable for about 10 days as the cloud drifted toward South America. The findings suggest a natural mechanism that could inspire engineered methane-removal approaches, though practical deployment and safety concerns, plus measurement challenges, remain.

via Gizmodo|

#atmospheric-chemistry #chlorine #climate-change

science16 days ago•8 min saved

Volcanic plume acts as methane scrubber, study finds

A 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai produced a volcanic plume whose ash and seawater chemistry, energized by sunlight, generated reactive chlorine that destroyed methane in the atmosphere, a finding that could alter global methane budgets and spur climate-tech ideas.

via ScienceDaily|

#atmospheric-chemistry #climate-change #hunga-tonga-hunga-haapai

environment17 days ago•5 min saved

Gates of Hell Dim as Methane Hazard Looms If It Goes Cold

Turkmenistan’s Darvaza gas crater, the famed “Gates of Hell,” is reportedly dimming after more than 50 years of continuous flame. While some attribute the drop to new nearby gas wells, others say natural fading is at play and not fully understood. The concern isn’t merely a fading spectacle: if the flames go out, the methane fueling them could escape into the atmosphere, a potent climate threat since methane traps far more heat than CO2. Emissions rose from about 1,300 kg/hour (2022–2025) to nearly 2,000 kg/hour by late 2025, highlighting an uncertain balance between environmental risks and the spectacle’s disappearance.

via Indian Defence Review|

#climate-change #darvaza-gas-crater #environment

science-and-environment1 month ago•6 min saved

Phosphate Scarcity Triggers Ocean Methane Boom and a Hidden Climate Feedback

Researchers find that marine bacteria produce methane when surface waters become phosphate-poor, creating a self-reinforcing warming loop: warming drives stratification that limits nutrient (phosphate) delivery, triggering more methane emissions and potentially accelerating near-term climate warming—an interaction not fully captured in many climate models.

via Indian Defence Review|

#climate-change #feedback-loop #methane

space-science1 month ago•6 min saved

Titan and Beyond: A New Model Reveals Giant, Slow Waves on Alien Seas

MIT and Woods Hole researchers unveiled a generalized wave-model showing that ocean waves on alien seas (like Titan’s methane/ethane lakes) can be dramatically different from Earth’s, driven by gravity, liquid composition, and atmospheric density; on Titan, simulations predict tall, slow-moving waves due to its low gravity and thick atmosphere, reshaping expectations for shoreline erosion, sediment transport, and the design of future landers or floating probes.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#methane #modeling #oceans

science1 month ago•14 min saved

Phosphate shortage links surface methane to a warming feedback in the ocean

A Rochester-led study finds methane in nutrient-poor, oxygen-rich surface waters is produced by bacteria when phosphate is scarce, solving a long-standing paradox and suggesting the open ocean may emit more methane than models predict; as global warming slows nutrient upwelling, methane production could rise, creating a feedback loop not yet accounted for in many climate projections.

via Oceanographic Magazine|

#climate-change #feedback-loop #methane

energy1 month ago•16 min saved

A Bolt of Chemistry: Methane Becomes Methanol in a Plasma Bubble Reactor

Northwestern chemists unveiled a plasma-bubble reactor coated with copper oxide that converts methane directly to methanol in a single step by applying high-voltage electricity to generate plasma, achieving roughly 97% selectivity and also yielding hydrogen and ethylene; while simpler and potentially more energy-efficient than the traditional two-step steam-reforming route, the technology still faces scaling and economic hurdles before it can compete with optimized industrial processes.

via Gizmodo|

#catalyst #energy #methane

environment2 months ago•3 min saved

Satellite Data Challenges EPA Methane Estimates in the Permian Basin

MethaneSAT data show that Permian Basin methane emissions are far higher than EPA estimates, prompting a Senate inquiry led by Senator Whitehouse and a demand for eight major oil companies to disclose their current emissions and reduction plans; advocates say methane capture could be low-cost and help stabilize gas supplies amid rising prices.

via Gizmodo|

#emissions #environment #epa

space2 months ago•7 min saved

NASA tests methane-oxygen blasts to map launch danger zones

NASA, Space Force, and the FAA are conducting controlled detonations of methane-oxygen (methalox) rocket fuel to measure blast effects and refine danger-area analyses as launches become more frequent. The program starts with baseline C-4 tests, adds unmixed methane/LOX tests, and will scale up to mixed-propellant explosions at progressively larger weights (from 2,000 to 20,000 pounds) to extrapolate hazards for huge rockets like SpaceX’s Starship, with findings guiding future site safety and operating procedures.

via Ars Technica|

#launch-safety #methalox #methane

environment3 months ago•2 min saved

Wetland Microbes Turn Swamps Into Methane Engines Driving Warming

Louisiana researchers measuring a swamp near New Orleans find that microbes in wetlands are releasing methane at rising levels, indicating microbial, not fossil-fuel sources, are driving a growing share of methane emissions and potentially accelerating climate warming through a climate feedback loop.

via The New York Times|

#climate-change #environment #greenhouse-gas

environment3 months ago•6 min saved

Covid-era Clean Air Sparked Unexpected Methane Surge

COVID-19 lockdowns sharply reduced nitrogen oxides, shrinking the hydroxyl radical that normally destroys methane and causing a large methane spike in 2020—about 80% of the rise came from a slower methane sink, with the remaining ~20% from increased ground emissions. Wetlands in tropical Africa and Southeast Asia, boosted by La Niña’s wetter conditions, contributed roughly 30% of the global increase during 2020–2022, marking a ‘clean air paradox’ where cleaner urban air reduces methane sinks and intensifies the need for aggressive anthropogenic methane cuts to curb warming.

via Ars Technica|

#covid-19 #environment #hydroxyl-radical

environment4 months ago•6 min saved

EPA finds xAI’s Memphis methane turbines illegally generating electricity

The EPA ruled that xAI’s Memphis datacenter illegally used methane-fueled turbines to generate electricity, dismissing a local loophole that allowed portable generators; federal air-quality rules now apply to Colossus 1, where 12 turbines operate under federal oversight after earlier permits for 15, and enforcement actions remain unclear as the NAACP pursues a Clean Air Act suit.

via Boing Boing|

#air-quality #environment #epa

environment5 months ago•2 min saved

New Study Reveals Hydrogen's Limited Climate Benefits and Global Budget Challenges

A study published in Nature warns that hydrogen, often seen as a clean energy source, may contribute to climate change by prolonging methane's presence in the atmosphere, thus slightly increasing global temperatures. The rise in hydrogen emissions, mainly from human activities like industrial leaks and fossil fuel use, indirectly enhances warming by reducing atmospheric detergents that break down methane, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of hydrogen's role in climate dynamics.

via ScienceAlert|

#climate-change #environment #global-warming