Texas A&M: Methane Levels In Gulf Of Mexico Up To 1,000,000 x Normal! Thats ONE MILLION!

reply to post by Doc Velocity


So, according to you, we shouldnt worry about 60,000+ barrels of oil flowing into the gulf every day? Im sure the ocean floor emits much more than that on a daily basis. We are all ok here folks, nothing to worry about, no need for alarm. Seroiusly dude, pull your head out and breathe every once in a while.

MessOnTheFED!

reply to post by Doc Velocity



Don't bother. You aren't going to convince anyone in this thread by using rational science, logical thinking, or facts.

What the hell's wrong w/ you, Doc? It's METHANE. Isn't that a scary word?
The whole region is going to blow sky high, cave in the ocean floor, and knock the Earth out of orbit, preceded by erupting volcanoes (apparently this OP seemed to think we drilled into one in his weekly scare-monger post last week), trumpet blowing angels and the 1/3 of the sun, earth, and stars getting "struck".

We're trooley doomed. It's the work of de debil, onoes! D:



Edit: Of course methane readings are going to spike out of control during a massive oil leak. It's a massive oil leak, not pleasure planets and pie.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by EnkiCarbone]

reply to post by chorizo4


Ok, that's truly funny. Star to you.

Something that just popped into my head is that while studying of vessels disappearing or sinking in the devils triangle one explanation I learned which could be the reason is Methane coming up in bubbles which is doing something to the water which causes ships to sink. So can ships float when methane is coming up from the bottom?
I hope this doesn't happen.

Originally posted by ShadowRamesses
Something that just popped into my head is that while studying of vessels disappearing or sinking in the devils triangle one explanation I learned which could be the reason is Methane coming up in bubbles which is doing something to the water which causes ships to sink. So can ships float when methane is coming up from the bottom?
I hope this doesn't happen.

Theoretically, yes. The gas can affect the density of water and cause the ship to sink.

reply to post by EnkiCarbone


We may, indeed, be doomed over the long term.

Doomed to change our ways radically, doomed to give up parts of the Gulf as uninhabitable, doomed to watch the Gulf die in pieces.

Being flippant and sarcastic won't change an iota of that. If you read carefully what I and others have reported and extrapolated from known, fairly verifiable and reliable facts, you will find that if anything, a lot of us are keeping a better perspective and have a better handle on what is likely to occur. The gas plumes I've mentioned are very real and will have the consequences I've outlined if the caveats I've laced them with are fulfilled.

The seafloor rupture and massive eruption of a vast pocket of mixed gasses is also a real, albeit small (I sincerely hope), possibility. Pretending it isn't a possibility is like refusing to wear a seat belt because you've never personally been in an accident. Just because the cahances of an extreme catastrophe are small doesn't mean you don't examine the consequences and make preparations in case it does.

Ignoring risks like that is what got us into this mess in the first place. Accountants decided the risk/cost ratios didn't justify taking precautions against unlikely possibilities.

Perhaps it's because I've worked in fields where it was necessary to imagine worst-case scenarios and take active steps to deal with them that I'm more comfortable looking into the abyss than most, and more skilled at figuring out what to do about it. I just know that panic isn't an answer, over- or underestimating risks can both be bad, but when it counts it's usually far better to overestimate the risk than underestimate it.

edit to add:

True worst-case scenarios usually mean you're dead with nothing much to show for it and no rectifying the situation. So what I tend to look at are the near-worst-case-scenarios: really, really bad but with an out if only you can find it. Said out may not include saving all you'd like, or even yourself, but at least the exercise won't be pointless.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by apacheman]

dead zones will do that, yep...doesn't help that its summer either

Originally posted by JBA2848

Something to think about.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by JBA2848]

I'll reiterate this very perceptive point... as well as bump this video.

People!

IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY, THIS VIDEO IS A MUST WATCH TO UNDERSTAND THE LOGISTICS ABOUT METHANE

Nasty stuff - and what's worse, other types of gases are involved as well. This video brings to light a recorded incident that occured at a lake in Africa that had a Carbon Dioxide eruption, which killed 17oo people and all livestock within seconds... by virtue of suffocation - what an aweful way to go!

Originally posted by ShadowRamesses
Something that just popped into my head is that while studying of vessels disappearing or sinking in the devils triangle one explanation I learned which could be the reason is Methane coming up in bubbles which is doing something to the water which causes ships to sink. So can ships float when methane is coming up from the bottom?
I hope this doesn't happen.

Yes, bubbles in the water, Methane or otherwise, will cause the water to not support the weight of something buoyant on top of it.

I have seen this as an explanation for Bermuda Triangle disappearances as well. I don't know if it is true, but it is certainly plausible. If a ship were chugging along and the sea around it became foamy, the ship would go down intact all at once without a chance to radio for help. The sea water collapsing back on top of it would drive it straight to the bottom with no chance for rescue.

reply to post by diapertime


The really nasty stuff oxidizes off pretty quick, and what your left with is not unlike asphalt. We all know if you leave a road un managed then in 5-10 years plant life begins to break it down.

The methane levels are very disturbing! It has been theorized that a past methane release may have been responsible for the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history.


[edit on 30-6-2010 by Donkey_Dean]

I am hoping that the methane will benefit some lifeforms. At this point it seems to have no value to anything on earth. There is no way to convert it to anything usable but it may prove to be a device our planet uses to stay intact.

reply to post by paxnatus


In actual fact the amount is a fluctuating number depending upon where the sample gets taken...
The sampling only goes to eight miles out from the rigs drill hole anyways and is not totally indicative of how widespread the methane contaminations is....
death zones are definately being created here, but what size and what duration eremains to be determined.

Alright, this is ridiculous.

What are the parts per million of methane as opposed to what they were before? I dont see any figures other than "astonishingly high".

"Astonishingly high" out of someone who calls themselves a scientist and who is supposed to deal with quantification is a ridiculous and worthless answer...this is not science. This is junkmail. Sounds like these people are "astonishingly high" on making misinformed masses panic.

What constitutes "astonishingly high", and as opposed to what?????

How much doggy doo is in my yard?

I would much rather answer with 5 cubic feet (another gross exaggeration, but a real number!) instead of "an astonishingly high amount".

And to quantify that for you in simple terms, even if I piled it all together, lit it on fire with 5 gallons of gasoline on my acre of property representing the gulf of mexico, the bugs, birds, squirrels, etc, would not die. In fact no one would even know about it.

So what the hell is everyone panicking about?
It's an oil spill dammit.


If anything be alarmed about the crap they're adding to it. Not methane or oil. Oil seeps and methane emissions from the sea floor are naturally occurring EVERYWHERE.

Oh nevermind!!!

reply to post by Critical_Mass

First off, no one is in a panic.

Second, there's been over ten BILLION cubic feet of methane released so far, much of it hanging in huge subsea plumes or clouds.

Third, do your homework:

Gulf spill: is the methane a bigger problem than the oil?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The thread is highly detailed, with industry reports, science reports, and a large amount of references. If you do the work of reading through it you will understand why people are taking this extremely seriously.

A rational discussion of a very bad situation fraught with several pontentially extreme outcomes is neither giving in to panic nor is it fear-mongering. The fact that the extreme outcomes are low probability at this point is what is upsetting, given that they were essentially zero probability a few weeks ago. Frankly, anything that has a measurable chance of blowing up in my face makes me pretty nervous about it.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by apacheman]

reply to post by Critical_Mass


It is not an oil spill. They just call it that to try and downplay it. An oil spill is a set amount of oil that is "spilled". This is an oil geyser. Very big difference and your attempt at an intellectually superior rant fails deeply because of your inability to comprehend this very simple difference.

The fact that the finishing statement for you is that it is just an oil spill shows that your purpose really was just to come up with something that sounds logical because the situation is getting out of hand quickly and it probably scares the # out of you, like it should.

Sometimes fear is unnecessary but sometimes it is a very valuable emotion that you should feel. They pump us so full of fear these days that its hard to know when we should and shouldnt pay attention to it.

This is one of those times and no amount of one sided "scientific" theorizing as to why the methane story is bull# is going to change this fact.

The amount of posters here that think they have all the answers on this is absolutely mind boggling.

Originally posted by apacheman
The seafloor rupture and massive eruption of a vast pocket of mixed gasses is also a real, albeit small (I sincerely hope), possibility.

Anything is possible. It's possible that you could be struck by lightning while being attacked by a great white shark on the same day you win the lottery.

But it's rather unlikely.

The problem with the EnviroTards is that they want something dire to happen, so they can say I told you so, in spite of the FACT that nothing of the sort is likely to happen.

You doomsayers WANT an environmental apocalypse, and you'll fabricate one in your own minds pending the real thing. You have absolutely no precedent and no evidence to support the "DEAD Gulf of Mexico" scenario. It's all speculation, pure fantasy.

Regarding the other, especially stupid remarks about my stroke, from which I recovered quite nicely, you may kiss my white ass. I was writing about the Gulf Oil Spill Hoax back on May 20, well before the stroke.

— Doc Velocity

reply to post by SSimon


I'm pretty sure no one has ever dived (doved?) 5000 feet below the surface.

but great suggestion.

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


Except he isnt saying everything will be fine. AT ALL. He's saying this isnt the ELE some seem to be almost HOPING for.

A little sanity and perspective is not a bad thing.

reply to post by Doc Velocity


Doc, you are back in full form no doubt! I am personally glad to see your thoughts. I certainly don't want to be right about the possibilities of a dead Gulf. There are precedents, as mentioned in some of the posts mentioning volcanic lakes. We have the Dead Sea, and we already have verified "dead zones" within the Gulf.

I admit that the likelihood of an extinction level event from this disaster is low, but I am concerned that it becomes more and more likely with every passing day. The Relief wells simply MUST work, or all the doomsday possibilities become very likely!

Also, local extinctions are already likely. These beaches and marshes and wetlands are the homes and breeding grounds for many endangered species. If they lose their nesting grounds, and their young hatchlings, then we lose the species.

So, while I like your take on things, I think you are vastly underestimating the already existing impact and the increasing likelihood of even worst to come.

reply to post by Doc Velocity


Sorry, but if you take the time to actually read the reports out of UGA, Woods Hole, and other pretty reliable sources, perhaps you'd understand the various problems.

This isn't an oil spill.

It is a gas/oil LEAK pumping very bad stuff very deep down faster than either natural or human processes can deal with.

I daresay no one wants what is occurring. Some few of us dug deeper earlier and gave legitimate warnings a long time ago, for which we were called fear-mongers. Recognizing reality isn't fear-mongering. This situation is extremely dangerous, will be with us for a very long time, and could grow infinitely worse over time.

It is surely no time to panic, which is what those who keep trying to deny reality are actually doing. It's not OK, but take a deep breath, and accept it.

Then perhaps we can move on to somehow dealing with it. Some pretty massive changes are required and will be coming soon. The only question is whether we will be driven by awful, immediate, unthought-out necessity, or we are at least somewhat in control and can nimbly step out of foreseen dangers...

Btw, glad you're recovering well, best wishes to you.