The dangerous methane mystery

        June 20, 2019 CounterPunch | North Pole | climate change: science

The world's most extensive continental shelf, the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), is full of methane (CH4), trapped in frozen shallow subsea permafrost. If increased melting produces a “Big Burp," CH4 levels could increase to a carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of 560 ppm (current CO2 is 415.7 ppm), precipitating ecosystem collapse.