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Update Date: 2009/09/17 11:03 (Reuters London)
Scientists said today that as global warming causes shifts in the Earth's crust, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, massive landslides, and tsunamis may become more frequent.
Climate-related geological changes could also trigger "methane outbursts," the release of this potent greenhouse gas. The amount of methane currently stored in solid form beneath permafrost and ocean floors may even exceed the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Professor Bill McGuire from University College London told Reuters at the first major conference examining the impact of climate change on geological hazards: "Climate change doesn’t just affect the atmosphere and oceans; it also affects the Earth's crust. The entire planet is an interconnected system."
Volcanologists, seismologists, glaciologists, climatologists, and landslide experts at the conference have studied historical data to predict future changes, particularly the dramatic temperature shifts around 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age.
McGuire, who organized the three-day conference, said: "When the ice disappears, the crust rebounds, triggering earthquakes, which in turn can cause underwater landslides, leading to tsunamis."
Professor David Pyle from the University of Oxford noted that minor surface changes generally appear to influence volcanic activity, not just in areas where ice has disappeared after cold periods. Climate patterns also seem to affect volcanic activity, and vice versa. Central News Agency (Translation)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 090917/ 16/ 1r9v6. html
Scientists: Warming Triggers Crustal Shifts, Increasing Disasters
Scientists said today that as global warming causes shifts in the Earth's crust, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, massive landslides, and tsunamis may become more frequent.
Climate-related geological changes could also trigger "methane outbursts," the release of this potent greenhouse gas. The amount of methane currently stored in solid form beneath permafrost and ocean floors may even exceed the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Professor Bill McGuire from University College London told Reuters at the first major conference examining the impact of climate change on geological hazards: "Climate change doesn’t just affect the atmosphere and oceans; it also affects the Earth's crust. The entire planet is an interconnected system."
Volcanologists, seismologists, glaciologists, climatologists, and landslide experts at the conference have studied historical data to predict future changes, particularly the dramatic temperature shifts around 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age.
McGuire, who organized the three-day conference, said: "When the ice disappears, the crust rebounds, triggering earthquakes, which in turn can cause underwater landslides, leading to tsunamis."
Professor David Pyle from the University of Oxford noted that minor surface changes generally appear to influence volcanic activity, not just in areas where ice has disappeared after cold periods. Climate patterns also seem to affect volcanic activity, and vice versa. Central News Agency (Translation)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 090917/ 16/ 1r9v6. html