Methane Ice. Hmmm

A PBS documentary on the Bermuda Triangle of all things pointed to Methane Ice as one possible culprit for unexplained shipwrecks.


I did some poking around on the subject, and what I discovered was kind of disturbing. Methane ice is simply methane (natural gas), solidified in the cold, high pressure depths of the deep ocean. Occasionally, this ice will melt back into gaseous form, sometimes suddenly and in large quantities, creating massive fields of bubbles that could theoretically sink ships. Sinking ships is bad, but so is the periodic release of huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.


Although it seems there is no practical way at this time to recover the ice as a viable fuel, but I'm sure people will continue to try. Until then, here's my concern. If the oceans do indeed warm a degree or two, how much methane ice will melt and release into the atmosphere? And, what will that do to exacerbate the whole global warming problem.

On the other hand, could this give clues as to a possible sequestration method?