Scuba divers at Shane Seep in the Coal Oil Point seep field near the University of California, Santa Barbara observed and recorded a seep blowout. About 120 m3 or (5000 ft3) of methane, an important greenhouse gas, escaped during the blowout. From dye injected into the plume, the upwelling flow was found to be 2 to 3 m s-1.
Study Findingsand Implications: If global warming continues, we may reach a tipping point wherein 'frozen' hydrocarbons (called methane hydrates), will release tremendous amounts of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are know to be a major factor in causing global warming If hydrates start to decompose and release greenhouse gases explosively, this could accelerate the global warming trend, and in a vicious cycle, cause the release of additional greenhouse gases from more decomposing hydrates. Hydrate deposits are vastand are found offshore many coastal areas, not only CA, but also large parts of the east coast, such as offshore Maryland, and the Gulf of Mexico. Hydrates contain 3000 times the amount of methane as in the atmosphere. The UCSB study discovered that when these hydrates decompose, they can release methane explosively rather than only as a gentle percolation of bubbles. This gets the methane to the atmosphere much more effectively than was previously thought- creating a "methane expressway" from the deep sea to the atmosphere. Therefore, as the Earth warms for whatever reasons, once the hydrates start belching catastrophically, climate could be pushed beyond the tipping point and subsequent human efforts to reduce climate change would be ineffective. Also, exploring hydrate-rich coastal areas could become more dangerous than previously thought. Unknown is where the global climate is in relation to this (or other) tipping points and how fast we are moving towards it.
