Barometric pressure, in addition to factors such as lithology and the depth of the water table, can influence patterns of natural gas that escapes to subsurface soils.
methane
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Methane-Releasing Tundra Soils Freezing Later Each Year
Scientists find links between delayed freezing of Alaskan soils and higher atmospheric methane concentrations during the cold season.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
In Pennsylvania, Methane Emissions Higher Than EPA Estimates
Although methane emission estimates from underground coal production appear to be accurate, the calculated emissions from natural gas production are underreported.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rising Methane Emissions Could Derail the Paris Agreement
A new study looks for the source of a spike in the potent greenhouse gas methane.
Posted inScience Updates
Compiling a Census for SEAFLEAs
Collaboration to Compile Open-Source Sites of Seafloor Fluid Expulsion Anomalies, AGU Fall Meeting 2018; Washington, D.C., 14 December 2018
Posted inNews
Detecting Fugitive Methane Leaks for Public Safety
A holistic approach to tracking leaks from natural gas pipelines could prevent explosions and also help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Greenhouse Gas Inventories Underestimate Methane Emissions
A new study in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area reveals prior estimates may significantly underrepresent methane emissions, particularly from landfills and natural gas systems.
Posted inNews
Audio Reveals Sizes of Methane Bubbles Rising from the Seafloor
A sensitive underwater microphone captures the sounds of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, escaping into waters off the coast of Oregon. Using this sound, researchers can estimate the bubbles’ sizes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rising Seas Increase Methane Emissions from the Mouths of Rivers
Drowned river deltas exhale large quantities of greenhouse gas, new study finds.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Methane, Climate Change, and Our Uncertain Future
Methane is generally considered secondary to carbon dioxide in its importance to climate change, but what role might methane play in the future if global temperatures continue to rise?