Does this climate model incorporate the positive feedback mechanism for the release of methane hydrates from the deeper ocean as it slowly warms?

John Lough

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Assuming you mean the ClimatePrediction.net HadSM3 models, it does not include methane hydrates. Release of methane hydrates is likely to be step events (rather like the 2x CO2 doubling the experiment 1 is modeling) and very difficult to predict when (or even if) it would happen or in what quantities. While it would be possible to model these using an ensemble, the effects of a methane burp would be similar to a step CO2 change in the short term (a few years) as the methane was converted into CO2 in the atmosphere it would then act as a much smaller CO2 step change in the longer term.

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<a href="http://www.boincforum.info/boinc/">boinc forum</a> and <a href="http://www.uk4cp.co.uk/">United Kindom</a> team, my climate change <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/mike_atkinson/">blog</a>.

Thanks,

In addition to your notes, I believe that methane oxidation is an exothermic process. (...Certainly, if in the presence of an ignition source.)

Do you know if a methane-release feedback is planned to be modeled as a subsequent forcing step for the HadSM3 models? This is of specific interest to me, and I would be most interested in running such a forcing step on my equipment.

John Lough

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I don't believe the heat released by methane oxidation.
[EDIT I don't believe the heat released by methane oxidation is a major factor, it is small compared to the greenshouse effect over CO2's half-life in the atmosphere.
Opps, that is what comes from replying and doing several things at work at the same time]

I don't know about any plans for methane-release feedback models.

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____________________________<br>
<a href="http://www.boincforum.info/boinc/">boinc forum</a> and <a href="http://www.uk4cp.co.uk/">United Kindom</a> team, my climate change <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/mike_atkinson/">blog</a>.

Thanks. I am sorry to hear that.

Methane is the primary constituent of natural gas.

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