Publication Date:
2017-04-04
Description:
The paper ‘‘Methane emission from the mud volcanoes
of Sicily (Italy)’’ by Etiope et al. [2002] represents the
first report ever done on experimental CH4 output data from
subaerial mud volcanoes (MV). A review of available CH4
flux data and detailed discussion about the global implications
of mud volcanic CH4 emission has been made elsewhere
[Etiope and Klusman, 2002; Morner and Etiope,
2002].
[2] The comment by Kopf [2003] contributes to open
discussions and to make the readership aware on how
important this subject is. In this reply we wish to clarify
that precise data of CH4 flux from geologic sources are
beginning to be available only now. It would be opportune
that the MV-expert community could agree in using a
common unit for the gas flux. We propose t y 1 and Mt
y 1, and not metres cubed, consistently with the data
reported for the methane sources/sinks budget by the IPCC.
[3] Sicilian MVs, the first to be measured in detail, are
considerably much smaller than the Azeri Ashgil MV,
mentioned by Kopf [2003], and it is therefore obvious to
expect a lower gas flux. Anyway the Dashgil mud volcano
flux data are not based on exact measurements but only on
visual estimates of the bubbles [Hovland et al., 1997]. In
order to fully reply to Kopf [2003], hereafter we briefly
discuss the problem of how to estimate the total number of
MVs in the world and present new data from other European
MVs, recently investigated. Finally, we outline the global importance of mud volcanic CH4 emission, as Kopf
[2003] and recent literature is stressing.
Description:
Published
Description:
1094
Description:
partially_open
Keywords:
methane
;
mud volcanoes
;
helium
;
01. Atmosphere::01.01. Atmosphere::01.01.02. Climate
;
02. Cryosphere::02.03. Ice cores::02.03.02. Atmospheric Chemistry
;
03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.02. Carbon cycling
;
03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.05. Gases
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
Format:
503 bytes
Format:
192711 bytes
Format:
text/html
Format:
application/pdf
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