Methane reservoir
Methane reservoirs on Earth are mainly found in[1]
- Oil and gas reservoirs as natural gas
- Coalbeds
- the seabed and the Arctic and other permafrost regions as methane clathrate
- the atmosphere
- decaying organic material[2]
with the exact distribution so far determined by the methane cycle/carbon cycle.
Methane as the main ingredient of natural gas and as an extractable fossil fuel-energy resource has limited if significant reserves. Russia, Iran, and Qatar are topping the list with together 105.6 trillion cubic metres (3.73×1015 cu ft), nearly half the world's proven reserves. Methane from gas fields is an important factor in the world energy production and consumption. Methane clathrate is a potential future energy source, if it doesn't escape to the atmosphere before extraction because of global warming. In the atmosphere, it is not only unusable, but also a potent greenhouse gas, further accelerating the current climate change.[3] But even conventional reservoirs are leaking methane (together with other gases like carbon dioxide) especially downstream the processing line.[4]
References
- ^ "Global methane reservoirs, fluxes, and turnover times". www.ess.uci.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ Keane, Rose (2016-09-08). "Bubbling Up: Methane from Reservoirs Presents Climate Change Challenge". The EPA Blog. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "Climate change and methane hydrates « World Ocean Review". World Ocean Review. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "Reservoir Emissions". International Rivers. Retrieved 2019-06-21.