Can the Gulf oil result in methane clouds? Can they be ignited by lightning?

Ka Boom???

and Jon interviewed the guy, and so now I'll watch Gasland on HBO in the next few days.

Scary stuff!

How the ultimate BP Gulf disaster could kill millions

snip

With the BP oil spill, also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history has become not only a fear but a reality. With thousands (and possibly millions according to some scientists) of gallons of oil spilling in the gulf, there are certain environmental factors that is to be expected. Of course, the oil itself is filling up the gulf, killing millions of sea life that people living on the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are seeing every day.

The economic impact of this incident is something of a question. Undoubtedly there will be hard hits to food and supply production, but even individuals taking this spill has a big deal miss some of the details that could make this more than just a simple environmental disaster.

While it is known that the gallons of oil spewing has yet to be controlled, there are certain chemicals mixed in with this gasoline that release toxin gases, finding a way to make it up into the air. Many different gases from hydrogen sulfate to benzine are being released into the air at around 4000 times what it considered safe to human.

The biggest concern though right now, which hasn't hit mainstream news yet but has been being discussed by scientists since the incident, is the amount of methane gas that is being released.

http://www.helium.com/items/1866957-bp-oil-spill-methane-gulf-of-mexico



I've heard this debunked but it still gives me pause.

...effect. I don't know what percentage of normal global emissions DWH is belching, but it won't be insignificant.

IIRC weight for weight it's about 200 times as potent as CO2, so burning any methane (or other high volatility petrochemicals) that can be captured on site is the best option, despite how bad it looks, since there is no practical way to get it to a place where it can be burnt usefully.

And in the short term, local methan concentration could still be worrisom in its own right. The enhanced greenhouse effect might drive local temperatures much higher than normal. This means discomfort for the people, and more energy for any storms that might track across the gulf. Also less oxygen in the water and more and bigger dead zones.

One thing that might save us from the storms is the degree by which the oilslick lowers evaporation. Starving storms that way.

could ignite and flame off. It would be quick.

And, it would be better, greenhouse gas wise, for it to burn than for it to enter and stay in the atmosphere.

CH4 is 25x worse, or more, than CO2.

:hi:

would create a torch at the point of emission (just like flare from an oil rig). There's nothing to keep it together once it starts to mix into the atmosphere, so you couldn't get big explosive clouds floating around the Gulf (although that would make a good plot for a B-level disaster movie)...