HUGE methane cloud over New Mexico

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Still just blaming it on oil/gas extraction and coal mining that does not exist.

Black Mesa & Kayenta coal mines: Kayenta Mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Even though mining operations were shut down recently, there's still much newly-exposed surface that can outgas.

Aneth oil field: Aneth Oil Field (in San Juan County, UT)

[niky]

Originally Posted by BobS

We are out of fossil fuels in 30 +/- years if the Koch brothers get their way. Why not cap the area if feasible and save it for then. And, as MetroMPG shows us, they are just burning gas and using up oxygen, and that gas could simply be left in the ground for use later. Isn't it time the stupid stuff stopped?

You are now leaving the Detroit Dome. Please deposit your hazmat suit in the appropriate receptacle. Remember, stealing Detroit air is punishable under Federal law, so make sure to deposit any water bottles, bags or food containers in the vacuum chamber next to your locker for decontamination...




*I know you weren't talking about the city itself, but I couldn't resist...

[oil pan 4]

That coal mine, possible it was out side of my original search area.
Even then, you think the EPA with its infinite resources could find the source maybe?
Unless they are totally incompetent. (<my observation)

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Even then, you think the EPA with its infinite resources could find the source maybe?

Infinite resources? Hardly.

Suppose there is not one point source, but many smaller sources spread over the whole Four Corners area. How do you trace back the methane molecules to particular sources?

[oil pan 4]

If its spread over the whole area then its natural.

How do you trace it back to particular sources?
Its easy, I already answered this.
If its from man made sources as you insist that makes it even easier.

It would appear that the anti fossil fuel church of global warming (aka the epa) finds it more politically advantageous to complain about the problem, then to find out what it really is, just incase it turns out to be natural.

[freebeard]

If it's near Archeluta Mesa; then it's obvious why they can't talk about it.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

If its spread over the whole area then its natural.

How do you come to that conclusion? Suppose, just for example, that you have 1 oil well per square mile, over an area 100x100 miles. Then you have 10,000 oil wells, each one contributing a little bit to the cloud. How do you narrow it down to one source?

Per this (pdf) http://www.google.com/url?url=http:/...wrfrhWHs1x9MiQ
there are actually about 40,000 oil & gas wells in the San Juan Basin.

[oil pan 4]

Gas auditors.

You have a large area say a city like dallas with hundreds of thousands of customers.
How do you think they find they leaky meters and lines?
These gas distribution leaks that gas auditors find are much smaller than that gigantic red splotch seen from space by satellites.

All I am saying is they could find the leaky wells if they really wanted to.

How do I come to the conclusion it might be natural?
Show me a satilite picture showing any point in time where there was little to no methane release from that area.
This seems to be standard operating procedure from those who believe were are always on the edge of some man made environmental disaster. They see something for the very first time using some new technology, what they see appears to be an abnormality and automatically assume man is the cause.
Just like the hole in the ozone. They saw it for the very first time and jumped to conclusions. The hole is still there and larger than ever, dispute all man kinds efforts to ban and remove CFCs. So after all that the hole is larger than ever, they have ran out of things to blame it on, strangely no one cares and the giant hole in the ozone that they said would kill us all (even with it only being over Antarctica) it doesn't appear to be effecting anything.

[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Just like the hole in the ozone. They saw it for the very first time and jumped to conclusions. The hole is still there and larger than ever, dispute all man kinds efforts to ban and remove CFCs.

IIRC, the CFCs are a catalyst that breaks down ozone. They don't get consumed by the process, so they continue working. That means as long as they not removed from the area, they will continue breaking down ozone.

-soD

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Infinite resources? Hardly.

Suppose there is not one point source, but many smaller sources spread over the whole Four Corners area. How do you trace back the methane molecules to particular sources?

The carbon in the methane will have a specific radioisotope which is a marker for identification.All forms of carbon emissions can be identified to their source.