The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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NOAA's Barrow data shows that atmospheric methane has spiked. See the graphic. This spike is not showing at other global sites, and it may well be localised.

But if it does start appearing elsewhere, it's a very bad sign.

Barrow is in the Arctic and the methane spike is possibly showing a feedback loop kicked off by thawing permafrost and/or frozen methane hydrates.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, more powerful than CO2, and is implicated in past mass extinctions.

On top of this spike, along with record low ice, record temperatures, and Siberian fires and floods, we have the following evidence of major problems in the Arctic ...

Seals dying ... https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alas ... SKCN1VY072
Sea birds dying ... https://www.fws.gov/alaska/stories/2019 ... eabird-die
Whales dying ... https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/201 ... 352505001/

And so on ...

For now, let's hope the graph just shows some sort of weird methane burp from somewhere around Barrow.

Stay up to date on the trend here ... https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/dv/iadv/g ... gg&type=ts
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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The latest flask data from Barrow (top pic below) shows a crazy methane spike ... https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/dv/iadv/g ... gg&type=ts

Orange numbers are described as preliminary, but it is concerning regardless. Some other high-latitude station methane readings are shown, they don't seem to show the same increase.

Posted by a non-expert.
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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Still going up ...
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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Latest Barrow methane graph from NOAA attached. The larger spikes have been corrected out, presumably during data quality control. Interesting that large "errors" are trending up.

Even after correction the trend remains strongly upward.

Keep up-to-date here ... https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/dv/iadv/g ... gg&type=ts

Barrow CO2 graph added FYI.

After the unprecedented global industrial slowdown from COVID, if there is no substantial drop in methane and CO2 output, and a trend downward, then it is probably correct to assume the worst for our ecosystems.

No Green policy is likely to achieve what the virus has done in terms of greenhouse gas reduction.
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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Latest from Barrow ... the "down season" was up, so the next peak may be interesting.
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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The latest graph from Svalbard ...

Also, an earlier article ... https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articl ... ata-shows/
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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Barrow methane is rising incredibly fast again as the annual growth curve kicks off for 2020. See bottom image, by NOAA.

Follow it yourself here ... https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/dv/iadv/g ... gg&type=ts

There is also a very slow refreeze of Arctic ice so far this year, on the back of the second lowest recorded ice extent. NSDIC graph attached.

What is interesting in the Barrow methane data are the orange + symbols. According to the NOAA website these symbols show data "that are thought to be not indicative of background conditions, and represent poorly mixed air masses influenced by local or regional anthropogenic sources or strong local biospheric sources or sinks".

Note that all the + symbols are above the trend line, with none below.

Nonetheless, methane emissions must be seen to be increasing elsewhere around the Arctic to better understand what is happening.

See also the image attached for September 2020 heat - it was the hottest September yet recorded.
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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Once again Barrow methane measurements are going up alarmingly fast ... see the graph attached for today's reading.

As you'll see from this thread it has been consistently peaking.

Look it up for yourself here ... https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/dv/iadv/g ... p?code=BRW

This trend at Barrow is particularly concerning given findings by the recent Arctic mission studying methane clathrates.

Explainer video ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ChxLmpbz4

Report ... https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... tists-find

Note that orange dots are data not yet quality checked and the orange + symbols were formerly orange dots. The NOAA website says the orange + symbols show data "that are thought to be not indicative of background conditions, and represent poorly mixed air masses influenced by local or regional anthropogenic sources or strong local biospheric sources or sinks".

As stated earlier, it is perhaps interesting that the orange + symbols are above the trend line.
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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Up, up and away! ...
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Re: The endgame ... or a methane burp?

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"Unmixed samples" still trending up ... very concerning as Barrow is near where one might expect frozen methane to be released as temperatures rise.

NOAA ... " Orange + symbols are thought to be not indicative of background conditions, and represent poorly mixed air masses influenced by local or regional anthropogenic sources or strong local biospheric sources or sinks."

https://gml.noaa.gov/dv/iadv/graph.php? ... gg&type=ts
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