Shipping traffic can trigger methane emissions from seafloor, study finds
The scientists say the unexpected discovery has nothing to do with the type of fuel used by the ship. Instead, 'ship-induced pressure changes and turbulent mixing' trigger the release of the gas from the seafloor.
Bubbles and gas diffusion push the methane into the atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas.
Scientists had noticed unexpected methane emissions in the Baltic Sea's Neva Bay shipping lane while conducting other research, the researchers say in a 'Behind the Paper' article for Springer Nature Research Communities.
The team was in the 'right place at the right time, looking for everything else than methane plumes, but with a methane sensor they didn't expect to give any interesting signals,' they write.
But they did find methane — lots of it. Years later, they assembled an interdisciplinary team to solve the mystery.
It turns out the ships were triggering the emissions, filling the shipping lane with bubbles and causing the sediment below to release methane gas in periodic fluxes.
Container and cruise ships triggered the largest and most frequent methane emissions, but the study suggests that ships of all kinds, regardless of their type of engine or size, trigger methane emissions.
Researchers said they observed emissions that were 20 times higher in the shipping lane than in undisturbed nearby areas.
Given the number of ports in similarly shallow areas worldwide, it's important to learn more about emissions in shipping lanes and to better estimate their 'hitherto unknown impact,' study co-author Johan Mellqvist, a professor of optical remote sensing at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, said in a news release.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Experts issue warning as 'alien monster' spider spreads around the globe on cargo ships — here's why it's so dangerous
Experts issue warning as 'alien monster' spider spreads around the globe on cargo ships — here's why it's so dangerous Australia may soon be invaded by a spider that scientists have called an "alien monster." What's happening? The New Zealand false widow spider, a native of the Canary Islands and Madeira in Spain, is an invasive species that is spreading rapidly via cargo shipments. According to the International Business Times, the spider that scientists have labeled an "alien monster" is believed to be making its way to Australia. The false widow is known for adapting well to urban environments and can be found everywhere from mailboxes to garden sheds, so it will thrive in areas of Australia with similar environments. However, this invasive species offers a double whammy with its bites, which is what earned it the label of "alien monster." Though the species is less aggressive than some other spiders found in Australia, its venom is neurotoxic and can cause swelling, pain, tissue necrosis, and low blood pressure. Fatalities from the bite of this spider are rare; however, hospitalizations are not. Even worse, though, is the fact that the false widow spider is a host for a plethora of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, meaning antibiotics don't always work on bites from this species. Why are invasive species concerning? Any kind of invasive species is a major concern for the country it invades, as they can cause immense damage to native species and local ecosystems. As evidenced by the false widow spider in New Zealand, invasive species spread rapidly. They outcompete native species for vital resources, such as food, and introduce new diseases into local populations (or in this case, new neurotoxins and antibiotic-resistant pathogens). Some invasive species can also impact human food supplies, destroy native plants, alter soil chemistry, and even exacerbate extreme weather conditions. Protecting and prioritizing native species is a crucial way to help conserve natural resources, safeguard food supplies for both animals and humans, and limit the spread of new diseases. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. What's being done about the New Zealand false widow spider? Unfortunately, there's only so much that experts can do to stymie the tide when it comes to invasive species, especially in cases like this one where the species is small and can hide in cargo to enter the country. According to IBT, experts in Australia have urged the government to increase the monitoring of imported goods, educate the public about the species, and make investments in containment measures to mitigate the risks associated with the false widow spider. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why does your mind goes 'blank'? New brain scans reveal the surprising answer
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. You look up from your phone screen and suddenly realize you weren't thinking about anything. It's not a lapse in memory or a daydream; it's literally a moment when you're not thinking of anything at all. Neuroscientists have a term for it — mind blanking — which they define as a brief, waking state when conscious thought simply stops. Scientists used to think our waking minds were always generating thoughts, but recent research shows that's not the case. Mind blanking is now recognized as a distinct conscious state associated with changes in arousal, which in neuroscience refers to alertness and responsiveness to stimuli. Studying this curious state could shed light on how consciousness works, some researchers think. "For some, it's kind of a blip in the mind, and suddenly there's nothing," Thomas Andrillon, a neuroscience researcher at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the Paris Brain Institute, told Live Science. "But not with that feeling, 'There was something that I forgot.'" Often, people are unaware of the lapse until they are prompted to answer "What were you just thinking about?" "When we interrupt them randomly," Andrillon continued, "it's clear it's more frequent than what people realize." Although the frequency of this phenomenon varies among individuals, various studies suggest about 5% to 20% of a person's waking hours may be spent in this state. Related: Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness An investigation of 'mind blanking' In a study published in the July issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Andrillon and his team used electroencephalography (EEG) — which involves placing electrodes on participants' heads — to measure brain activity while people experienced lapses in attention, such as mind wandering or mind blanking. Mind wandering occurs when people's thoughts drift to tasks or ideas unrelated to the one at hand, while mind blanking involves the absence of all thought. While wearing EEG caps, participants watched numbers flash rapidly on a display screen. They were instructed to press a button every time a number appeared except for 3, which they were told to skip. This task tests how quickly people react when a response is required and how well they can inhibit that response, when necessary. Because most of the presented numbers required a response, people often pressed the button by mistake when they saw a 3 onscreen. The researchers paused the task once a minute to ask what the participants were thinking, finding that they were either focused on the task, their mind was wandering, or they were experiencing a "mind blank." Participants pressed the button more quickly when their minds were wandering, whereas their responses slowed noticeably during mind blanking, suggesting these two mental states are distinct. Brain activity told a similar story. The EEG data showed that the participants' brain activity tended to slow down slightly more when their minds were blank than when they were wandering, compared to the baseline of their paying attention. 'The connectivity changes as if the inner workings of the brain were specific, in a way, to that state," Andrillion said. EEG data is great for tracking rapid changes in brain activity, but it can't pinpoint exactly which brain regions are involved. That's in part because it records brain waves through the skull, and the signals blur as they make their way through the brain tissue, fluid and bone. Andrillon explained it's like listening through a wall. You can tell if a group inside is noisy or quiet, but you can't tell who is talking. The EEG results from the study suggest that during mind blanking, the brain's activity slows down globally, but the technique couldn't identify specific areas. That's where functional MRI (fMRI) came in. Related: 'Hyper-synchronized' brain waves may explain why different psychedelics have similar effects, rat study reveals Hypersynchronization fMRI provides a clearer view of which regions are active and how they interact, but its tracking speed is slower because the technique tracks bloodflow, rather than directly following brain signals. fMRI is more like peeking into the room and seeing who's talking to whom, but not knowing precisely when, Andrillion said. Study co-author Athena Demertzi, a neuroscience researcher at the GIGA Institute-CRC Human Imaging Center at the University of Liège in Belgium, led the fMRI portion of the study. As people rested in an fMRI scanner with no particular task at hand, Demertzi and her team periodically asked what they were thinking. The results were surprising: when people reported mind blanking, their brains showed hyperconnectivity — a global, synchronized activity pattern similar to that seen in deep sleep. Typically, when we are awake and conscious, our brain regions are connected and communicating but not synchronized, as they appear to be during mind blanks. "What we think happens in the case of mind blanking is that the brain is pushed a little bit toward the side of synchronization," Andrillon said. "That might be enough to disrupt these sweet spots of consciousness, sending our mind to blank." Research into mind blanking is still in its early stages, but Andrillon and Demertzi noted that its similarity to brain patterns seen during deep sleep may offer an important clue as to its function. Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, coincides with important cleanup work for the brain. It clears away accumulated waste, cools the brain, conserves energy and helps reset the system after a full day of mental activity. RELATED STORIES —Why do we forget things we were just thinking about? —Electronic' scalp tattoos could be next big thing in brain monitoring —'Hyper-synchronized' brain waves may explain why different psychedelics have similar effects, rat study reveals Andrillon and Demertzi suggested mind blanking may act as a mini-reset while we're awake. Demertzi said it's like "taking five to steam off" or "to cool your head." Early studies in Demertzi's lab suggest sleep-deprived people report more mind blanks, adding support to this idea. Both researchers stressed that this state is likely a way for the brain to maintain itself, though "it's not ideal for performance," Andrillon said. Andrillon believes it's possible but unlikely that there are people who have never experienced mind blanking. Detecting a mind blank can be a challenge. "It can require being interrupted," Andrillon said, "to realize, 'OK, actually, there was no content.'"
Bloomberg
9 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Healthy Living Helps the Aging Brain
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association makes a compelling case that a healthy lifestyle does an aging brain good. That might sound obvious. Eat well, exercise, challenge yourself mentally, have an active social life and you'll be better off for it. Yet researchers are just starting to offer concrete data to support the theory that making conscientious lifestyle changes can lower the risk of dementia, which is estimated to affect some 6 million Americans.
