Japan Flirts With Environmental Disaster?

AI Thread Summary
Methane hydrate is identified as a significant factor in historical global warming events that contributed to major extinctions, according to Ryo Matsumoto from the University of Tokyo. He emphasizes the potential for utilizing methane hydrate as a new energy source, leveraging existing knowledge and technology. The Nankai Trough, located off the coast of Honshu Island, contains an estimated 40 trillion cubic feet of crystalline methane trapped in ice. However, there are concerns regarding the risks of mass methane release into the atmosphere and sea, which could exacerbate global warming. Caution is advised during drilling operations to prevent massive underwater landslides. The discussion also humorously references the fictional creature Gamera, suggesting a cultural connection to the potential dangers of methane hydrate extraction.
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...Methane hydrate was a key cause of the global warming that led to one of the largest extinctions in the Earth's history,'' says Ryo Matsumoto, a University of Tokyo scientist who has studied frozen gas since 1987. ``By making the best use of our wisdom, knowledge and technology, we should be able to utilize this wisely as a new energy.''

...Trapped within sheets of ice up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) thick is an estimated 40 trillion cubic feet of crystalline methane encased in an ocean trench called the Nankai Trough, 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast of the main Honshu Island.

...``A mass release of methane into the sea and the atmosphere is a risk for global warming,'' he says. ``Massive landslides at the ocean floor must be avoided when drilling at the Nankai Trough.'' [continued]
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aiUsVKaqDA7g
 
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For some terrible reason all I can think is "Never mind the methane hydrate, isn't this how they woke up Gamera?"
 
Coin said:
For some terrible reason all I can think is "Never mind the methane hydrate, isn't this how they woke up Gamera?"

LOL! Perhaps Gamera was just a prophetic symbol for a pending hydrate disaster. :biggrin:
 

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