America's Methane Mystery: NASA Set To Investigate Hotspot Over the 4 Corners 111
schwit writes A "hot spot" of the largest concentration of methane seen over the United States is in the area near the Four Corners intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and covers 2,500 square miles. The hotspot predates widespread fracking in the area. Researchers from several institutions are now in the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest with a suite of airborne and ground-based instruments, aiming to uncover reasons for a mysterious methane "hot spot" detected from space. "With all the ground-based and airborne resources that the different groups are bringing to the region, we have the unique chance to unequivocally solve the Four Corners mystery," said Christian Frankenberg, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, who is heading NASA's part of the effort.
Sorry (Score:4, Funny)
I can't help myself. I've had this overwhelming desire to fart in four states for decades now. It's even worse now with the munchies.
Two Words: Pinto Beans (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
actually it was a herd of cattle being brought south, so it was about 1 million cow farts over three days. sorry about that, my bad, I will notify nasa beforehand next time
Re: (Score:3)
Wait, I don't mean to troll. But don't all the UFO's get reported around that area??
Re: (Score:1)
atomic fart (Score:1)
Residual from atomic fart in Beavis and Butthead Do America?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOS5gWzkXMA [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:1)
Yea, the rodents shall cry out for mercy, but they shall find none. For today is snake-feeding day. My corn snake shall be satiated. Yes, my pretty, soon you dine on raw FLESH!
Re: (Score:2)
Free kittens to good homes!
I've got three left.
This is a real mystery (Score:1)
Obviously nothing to do with oil extract.
Re: (Score:2)
No more methane to investigate.
No mystery at all (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:No mystery at all (Score:5, Informative)
Coal bed methane, that is in the cracks and pores of coals, is old, old and well known thing.
Yeah. It's even mentioned in TFA:
This indicates the methane emissions should not be attributed to fracking but instead to leaks in natural gas production and processing equipment in New Mexico's San Juan Basin, which is the most active coalbed methane production area in the country.
'The results are indicative that emissions from established fossil fuel harvesting techniques are greater than inventoried,' Kort said.
It's my fault, sorry. (Score:1)
Re: No mystery at all (Score:1)
the fruitland coal seem, the zone that area produces the most natural gas from, reaches the surface in the area where nasa is investigating. there is no mystery, the methane hotspot is not due to leaky process equipment. its all due to geology
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
They just measured it. Nobody knows how long it's been there.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I wonder if there's any way to keep this methane from escaping? Even if it could be collected and flared off it would be a big improvement over letting it escape into the atmosphere.
Re:No mystery at all (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Decatur Illinois.
Re:No mystery at all (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
That's why the "canary in the coal mine",
Canaries were for carbon monoxide, actually.
Re:No mystery at all (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
We'll he's right in that inhaling the methane won't be the thing that kills you.
Re: (Score:2)
The point isn't that it would be safe, it's that there's a wide range of hazardous concentrations that wouldn't affect a canary. Canaries were only useful for detecting presence of poisonous gases or a dangerous lack of oxygen. Presence of flammable gases was detected by instruments such as Davy lamps, not canaries.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Those four states an epicenter (Score:2, Funny)
of tex-mex food.
Re: (Score:2)
Considering its location relative to Florida, I'd say tex-mex is a perfectly valid reason for methane coming out of that hole.
Re: (Score:2)
We don't serve Tex-Mex in New Mexico. That is a COMPLETELY different style of food that New Mexicans disdain as garbage. Come try the chile, I promise a good helping of proper Green or Red Chile will make you understand that it's not Tex-Mex!
Now as far as the methane, the air quality in the area has been terrible forever. I grew up in Farmington and the asthma/allergy issues I believe are higher there than on average elsewhere. Growing up there were 3 major power plants in the area, with the coal mine feedi
Why the bad rap? (Score:5, Informative)
Methane is neither the principal part of a fart nor the smelly part. It's odorless. In fact, it's one of three odorless gases which make up roughly 98% of flatulence, with nitrogen and CO2.
The other 2% is a widely varied mix of esters, sulfides and ketones that depends on what you eat, and that's what provides the inimitable social character.
The "natural gas" that your stove burns is methane, and your gas company deliberately adds a stinky substance to it so you'll know when you have a leak.
Re:Why the bad rap? (Score:5, Insightful)
Because methane is a very potent greenhouse gas.
I'm not sure why you bring flatulence into the discussion at all.
Besides, there is a scientific mystery, so scientists want to solve it, independently of how good methane's rap is.
Re: (Score:3)
Because methane is a very potent greenhouse gas.
While that is true, the amount that is released by this hotspot is still small on a global scale, about 0.6 million tons per year on a total of about 600 million tons of methane, so this investigation is mostly a matter of scientific curiosity.
Re: (Score:2)
True, though it could well impact the estimates of methane emissions worldwide. If there's some unexpected source of methane, there may be more. Or it may indicate that if some sources are producing more then others are producing less, or that that methane atmospheric lifetime is different than we thought.
So it's scientific curiosity, but it may well end up having an impact on our understanding of climate change due to greenhouse gases, beyond the immediate production at this site.
Potent but short lived in the atmosphere (Score:2)
I think the half life is somewhere around the 10 years mark compared to something like 200 years or more for CO2. So methane isn't really as big a climate issue on a long term scale as some people make out.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Methane is neither the principal part of a fart nor the smelly part.
Methane is known as a powerful greenhouse gas. Thus, it's generally assumed that releasing it into the atmosphere contributes to global warming, and all the negative effects that go with it.
So when someone farts, it's considered "socially undesirable" not because it smells, but because it's bad for the planet. Got it?
Now you may ask: why do people make such a big deal out of it when someone farts in an elevator, but not when it happens in the open air? Ultimately the methane makes it into the
Re: (Score:2)
And all the positive effects, like warmer temperatures and higher precipitations!
Re: (Score:2)
And all the positive effects, like warmer temperatures and higher precipitations!
As long as you aren't in the British Isles.
Re: (Score:2)
Tell that to California
Re: (Score:2)
Because weather instantly becomes climate when it supports your preconceptions!
Re: (Score:2)
Well, it's what the climate models predict for California:
http://www.latimes.com/science... [latimes.com]
Of course, don't let science get in the way of your superstitions.
Re: (Score:1)
according to Wikipedia, flatulence is simply gas. there is no particulate component of farts.
Then by your logic (and derpapedia's), both coughs and sneezes are simply air, and there is no vaporised spittle or snot ejected,
Hooray, you just exposed Big Pharma for lying to us about flu epidemics, and the needs for booster shots. /sarcasm
Re: (Score:2)
according to Wikipedia, flatulence is simply gas. there is no particulate component of farts.
No particulate component - ever? Unlike your "wikipedia" source I referenced mine with an authoritative source that's not in denial. Good luck convincing your mother those airbrushed brown stains in your shorts are just because you're too lazy to wipe, just keep hanging with your mates, telling bitch jokes and pulling each other's fingers.
Re: (Score:2)
When people fart they spray fine particles of shit everywhere in a cloud of toxins.
I believe you are thinking of flatus fluidus But fear not, that is what underwear is for.
You do wear underwear don'tya?
Re: (Score:3)
Re: Why the bad rap? (Score:2)
And while you are at it, could you pass the refried beans?
Re: (Score:1)
"99 Luftballons" (Score:2)
It's the Tex Mex (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
No, it's a long way from TX. More NM/Arizona style.
Queue the Fart Jokes (Score:3)
But once we're all done laughing, I think we should take a sober look at the real scientific explanation: the Four Corners is host to a phenomenon known as Intermittent Fulminating Atmospheric Rancidity Tempest - Extended Duration.
Re: (Score:2)
I think it's all the aliens the government hides there. They're not used to Earth food.
Re: (Score:2)
And that is the cue for the spelling Nazis to queue up.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You cued up a whole queue of that same joke.
Re: (Score:1)
And that is the cue for the spelling Nazis to queue up.
Ok I cue up the original smelling Nazi. Perhaps he really didn't shoot himself and instead is in a bunker out at the four corners.
here is a good fart sequence featuring uncle Addy [youtube.com]
Cows and their unnatural diet. (Score:3)
May I suggest cows, being fed corn in place of their natural cellulose diet?
Re: (Score:2)
Most cattle out here are free range except for dairy, and there isn't much dairy in this region.
Re: (Score:2)
Dang. Another flippant, non scientific post foiled.
A weak spot (Score:2)
Caused by four states meeting together at one point.
Re:No relation to fracking is what the big media (Score:4, Interesting)
The natural gas industry spends billions of dollars to capture methane for sale and combustion.
This methane plume represents millions of dollars lost (possibly billions since its so large) -- if NASA can locate the source, I'm sure more than one oil & gas company would be more than happy to keep all that money from blowing away with the wind.
Navajo Dam changed the deep aquifer displacing gas (Score:1)
The Navajo Dam changed the deep aquifer in the area displacing gas out though the rocks to the west intersected by the Animas River Gorge.
d@3-e.net
It's a sequel (Score:2)
They're filming a sequel to The Arrival and are trying to method act it.
Simple maybe? (Score:2, Interesting)
Go look at California... drought. What are the symptoms of drought? No water/low-water ... Perhaps this area in four corners has been losing water in it's aquifer and surface water for decades and has now reached a point where the gas isn't being dispersed by run off, and is coming directly from the coalbeds. Perhaps it's a sign that there's something "wrong" (in the geographic sense) with the area that may be dangerous if disturbed.
Captcha: Stench
Neptune! (Score:1)
No Uranus jokes? I'm shocked! Dice must have done something I betcha!
It's all (Score:1)