Say, this doesn't sound too good.
http://www.helium.com/items/1882339...ster-may-have-triggered-a-world-killing-event
http://www.helium.com/items/1882339...ster-may-have-triggered-a-world-killing-event
Have we killed ourselves finally?
- Thread starter Bill Mattocks
- Start date
Omar B
Senior Master
I'm sure the mammoths didn't have the technology or the knowledge to deal with methane in the atmosphere. It's gonna be disastrous, but not world killing. We will be fine.
As far as I can gather from various sources, the pollution coming out of the well is real. The fracturing of the well and the fissures opening up on the ocean floor are real. The high well head pressure, high enough to blow any safety equipment known to man, is also real.
Methane coming out of the well makes perfect sense. Oil and gas are regularly found with each other and they separate inside oil bearing strata. That methane mixing with water can be bad news on the local level because it will poison the ocean environment and kill everything that tries to breath that water.
Regarding the massive methane explosions that reputedly ended the Permian and paved the way for the dinosaurs, that is just a theory, one of several competing theories to explain the Permian extinction. The way it works is that massive areas of ocean bed are suddenly disturbed, causing methane hydride crystals to break down and release the trapped methane suddenly. Global Warming alarmists have jumped on this theory because they can point to the Permian extinction and say , "see, runaway global warming nearly killed everything on Earth!!!"
As far as I know, scientists don't know if this is even really possible or if it has even occurred in the past. So, I'm going to remain skeptical on that until I read something more convincing on the matter of methane hydride crystals.
So, to sum things up, yes, this disaster could create a massive dead zone in the Gulf. Yes, it could poison and displace millions along the Gulf Coast and possibly Atlantic coast. It may very well be the event that puts an end to our country's government through bankruptcy and social unrest. I don't think it will kill everything on the planet, however. Things are bad, just not that bad.
Methane coming out of the well makes perfect sense. Oil and gas are regularly found with each other and they separate inside oil bearing strata. That methane mixing with water can be bad news on the local level because it will poison the ocean environment and kill everything that tries to breath that water.
Regarding the massive methane explosions that reputedly ended the Permian and paved the way for the dinosaurs, that is just a theory, one of several competing theories to explain the Permian extinction. The way it works is that massive areas of ocean bed are suddenly disturbed, causing methane hydride crystals to break down and release the trapped methane suddenly. Global Warming alarmists have jumped on this theory because they can point to the Permian extinction and say , "see, runaway global warming nearly killed everything on Earth!!!"
As far as I know, scientists don't know if this is even really possible or if it has even occurred in the past. So, I'm going to remain skeptical on that until I read something more convincing on the matter of methane hydride crystals.
So, to sum things up, yes, this disaster could create a massive dead zone in the Gulf. Yes, it could poison and displace millions along the Gulf Coast and possibly Atlantic coast. It may very well be the event that puts an end to our country's government through bankruptcy and social unrest. I don't think it will kill everything on the planet, however. Things are bad, just not that bad.
The theory on methane hydride is a fairly sound one.
What has been missing until recently was a way to explain how it tied in with the huge extinction event that wiped out 95% of all life.
It is calculated that the global heat increase from the monumental lava eruptions of the Siberian Traps was about 5 degrees centigrade, not enough to cause the great death, which 'needs' a 10 degree change. What it did do was raise the temperature of the seas which in turn released the methane hydride which in turn raised global temperatures another 5 degrees.
Life is tenacious and it took some tens of thousands of years for the catastrophe to unfold ... so even if the doom-sayers on the oil spill are right, I think we have a while to try and set things aright.
What has been missing until recently was a way to explain how it tied in with the huge extinction event that wiped out 95% of all life.
It is calculated that the global heat increase from the monumental lava eruptions of the Siberian Traps was about 5 degrees centigrade, not enough to cause the great death, which 'needs' a 10 degree change. What it did do was raise the temperature of the seas which in turn released the methane hydride which in turn raised global temperatures another 5 degrees.
Life is tenacious and it took some tens of thousands of years for the catastrophe to unfold ... so even if the doom-sayers on the oil spill are right, I think we have a while to try and set things aright.
I think it's possible for us to kill ourselves and maybe a lot of other forms of life on this planet, but I don't think it's possible for us to kill Earth. And I really don't think it's going to happen anyway.
Ultimately, this planet was a heaving ball of molten rock at one point, and blossomed into this. I have a feeling that anything we could do to it might be temporarily damaging, but even if we wipe ourselves out, Earth will endure. And eventually something better than us will inherit it.
But I really think people take Earth for granted. It's bigger, and stronger than I think a lot of people realize. We might kill all the humans, or all the trees, or all the fish, but Earth could see us come and go and barely bat an eye.
Will this oil spill be what kills us all? I doubt it. I think it might kill some of us, and will certainly cause widespread hunger, poverty, and hardship. Especially if it becomes a serious problem for third world countries that don't have anywhere near our resources.
It does just keep getting worse though doesn't it?
-Rob
Ultimately, this planet was a heaving ball of molten rock at one point, and blossomed into this. I have a feeling that anything we could do to it might be temporarily damaging, but even if we wipe ourselves out, Earth will endure. And eventually something better than us will inherit it.
But I really think people take Earth for granted. It's bigger, and stronger than I think a lot of people realize. We might kill all the humans, or all the trees, or all the fish, but Earth could see us come and go and barely bat an eye.
Will this oil spill be what kills us all? I doubt it. I think it might kill some of us, and will certainly cause widespread hunger, poverty, and hardship. Especially if it becomes a serious problem for third world countries that don't have anywhere near our resources.
It does just keep getting worse though doesn't it?
-Rob
SensibleManiac
Black Belt
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We are actually working on things way way beyond this.
Like self sustainig nano life forms which we will be able to transfer our consciousness to.
Sounds like science fiction but believe it of not it's being worked on and it's coming.
Ok, so....I guess I can wait a little longer to pay on my student loans....I'll queue them up for 2013. 
Deaf Smith
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Any of you guys know how much oil leaks from the sea beds across the globe?
And guys, they have had bigger 'gushers' off Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
And in WW2 you guys know how many OIL TANKERS German subs sank off the coast of America?
Do some research and find out why the sky is not falling.
Google is your friend (when they are not spying on you!)
Deaf
And guys, they have had bigger 'gushers' off Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
And in WW2 you guys know how many OIL TANKERS German subs sank off the coast of America?
Do some research and find out why the sky is not falling.
Google is your friend (when they are not spying on you!)
Deaf
ok, I was a little flippant here. Short version: if this is true, if the worst happens, there isn't much I can do about it. Can't move far enough, can't afford to build a shelter, in the worst case, I die and well, that's about it. So, I'm not going to worry.Ok, so....I guess I can wait a little longer to pay on my student loans....I'll queue them up for 2013.
That said, what can you do to survive this? The US lacks the ability to put more than a few people in space, we're decades away from having survivable habitats in orbit, much less going to say Mars. So space isn't an option.
We can try the Logan's Run option. Build some enclosed cities, and strictly control access and resources. But that would also take decades to build, and who decides who gets in? Not to mention the trillions of dollars it would cost to build. I mean, what would NYC cost to build from scratch today, AND enclose it in thick walls, impenetrable flooring and a shatter proof roof? More than even Scrooge McDuck's got.
We could go the 2012 Ark route. Again, time and money come into play.
So, if such an event were to occur, to quote the Klingon, "We Die".
OP
- Thread Starter
- #13
But this isn't about oil, it's about methane.
Bigger gushers of methane?
How many of them were full of methane?
The tenor of the article seems to be that this particular undersea oil gusher is comprised of a lot of methane, in addition to the oil itself.
I don't know if that's true or not, but it's what the article says.
I do know that I've seen specials on TV about the methane frozen under the ice in the antarctic, which they say sequesters a lot of methane that might otherwise cause real problems with our environment. The worry about that frozen methane is that it could cause rapid temperature climbs if released - much more than just 'global warming' might otherwise cause. I have no idea if that's true either, but it's interesting.
The article points out that there have been 'extinction events' in earths history, which may or may not have been caused by massive methane releases from the sea floor:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian–Triassic_extinction_event
I'm no scientist; I don't know if methane caused the Permian Extinction Event or not. I also don't know if there is actually a huge quantity of methane being releases along with the oil down there at the bottom of the BP well disaster. But that's what the article is suggesting.
I'd say it's worthy of further study, and it's a tad bit frightening if the information the author provides are true.
Hardly 'the sky is falling', and nothing to do with sunken oil transport ships in WWII.
Nomad
Master Black Belt
But that's kind of the point. It's not the oil that's the real problem, if the OP's article is correct, but the massive methane deposits that could be destabilized by the leak.
It could happen, and evidence points to similar events as described in the past, causing mass extinctions across the globe. Hopefully this won't be the butterfly wing that ends up causing the hurricane.
But if humanity does end up offing itself, my money definitely goes that it happens via an "oops" method brought on by arrogance and disregard for the systems we're messing with, rather than more deliberate means such as nuclear war.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #15
My money is still on the LHC. It hasn't ramped up to full power yet, but when it does, and starts creating black holes on earth...well, I hope I'll have the time for a rude raspberry sound followed by "I told you so!" before we're all sucked into each other's bellybuttons and pop out of existence.
Empty Hands
Senior Master
Nope, you'll have to look for your Apocalypse elsewhere. Any such black holes created would have masses so small that they would quickly evaporate, and could not consume enough matter to even sustain themselves, much less grow. Chandrasekhar, bitches.
Gamma Ray Bursts on the other hand...
Any Human Extinction event that doesn't include Cylons or Daleks will be a big disappointment for me. I mean, I'm ok with the annihilation of the entire human race, but it has to involve aliens. This methane death idea's just not working for me. It's like, we worried all this time over cow farts, and now this.
Yes, sarcasm and humor, but a bit of serious irony also.
Yes, sarcasm and humor, but a bit of serious irony also.
Thanks for that link. With people being diagnosed with orthorexia nervosa as a mental disorder, I am more inclined towards #17.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/13695.php
Any Human Extinction event that doesn't include Cylons or Daleks will be a big disappointment for me. I mean, I'm ok with the annihilation of the entire human race, but it has to involve aliens. This methane death idea's just not working for me. It's like, we worried all this time over cow farts, and now this.
Yes, sarcasm and humor, but a bit of serious irony also.
Knowing you, i'm sure any type of alien intervention would also involve green skined, pointed earred, "hot" females dominating the males of this little blue rock.
Dude, keep a place in line for me. K?
Empty Hands
Senior Master
Don't worry, They Have a Plan. I hope that plan involves me and #6 somehow.
