putting the j in jjosh

Warren Ellis has an interesting post linking to this article that links to a new report. (this info is moving moving moving!) Anyway, it’s about permafrost melt releasing giant chimneys of methane. From the quote of the quote:

"In the past few days, the researchers have seen areas of sea foaming with gas bubbling up through "methane chimneys" rising from the sea floor. They believe that the sub-sea layer of permafrost, which has acted like a "lid" to prevent the gas from escaping, has melted away to allow methane to rise from underground deposits formed before the last ice age.

They have warned that this is likely to be linked with the rapid warming that the region has experienced in recent years.

Methane is about 20 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and many scientists fear that its release could accelerate global warming in a giant positive feedback where more atmospheric methane causes higher temperatures, leading to further permafrost melting and the release of yet more methane."

As always though, Ellis puts it more succinctly:

"Should all concerns be confirmed, it appears that we’re all going to die from the escape of monstrous planetary farts from beyond history."