[LINK] o/t Post-Copenhagen

[Ivan Trundle]

On 24/12/2009, at 4:49 AM, Nicholas English wrote:

> Can the coal seam gas technology be re-purposed as the former USSR already
> has good, if politically sensitive, gas lines to western Europe. Are these
> deposits too shallow to be 'economically feasible'?

Two types of methane sources exist in Siberia: the natural stuff (marshes, tundra, permafrost), and anthropogenic (injections into the atmosphere and leakage from numerous gas deposits, gas and oil pipelines).

Anthropogenic estimates vary widely - from 0.5 to 7% (3 to 17 Mt/yr). Estimations of natural sources have a higher uncertainty, even without throwing global warming projections into the mix.

My neighbour (a geophysicist) says that all this pales into insignificance when you look at the Arctic Ocean, which is not only a massive petroliferous superbasin enclosing huge reserves of carbon, but is also the estuary for many of the world's largest rivers, the drainage systems of which host incredible reserves of hydrocarbons (permafrost is just one source). Dissolved methane content in the lakes and rivers is spectacularly huge in some places, and reasonably low in many others.

But as my insurance mates will assure me, methane will eventually dissipate, and if there are any humans left to enjoy the world's environment, then Siberia will be the place to live. Worst place (in their assessment)? Florida (based on rates of insurable risk).

iT