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Q34 (IAS/2019) Environment & Ecology › Climate Change & Global Initiatives › Climate science and impacts Official Key

Which of the following statements are correct about the deposits of 'methane hydrate'? 1. Global warming might trigger the release of methane gas from these deposits. 2. Large deposits of 'methane hydrate' are found in Arctic Tundra and under the seafloor. 3. Methane in atmosphere oxidizes to carbon dioxide after a decade or two. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is option D because all three statements are accurate.

**Statement 1 is correct:** Global warming may destabilize methane hydrate deposits and release vast amounts of methane to the atmosphere.[1] Warming a small volume of gas hydrate could thus liberate large volumes of gas.[2]

**Statement 2 is correct:** Methane hydrates form in permafrost areas[3] and conditions are common at specific depths within the seafloor sediment along continental margins.[3] About 10,400 gigatonnes of methane are currently stored in hydrate deposits.[4]

**Statement 3 is correct:** CH₄ emitted today lasts for only about 12 years in the atmosphere, on average.[5] Natural processes in soil and chemical reactions in the atmosphere help remove CH₄ from the atmosphere.[6] Methane oxidizes to carbon dioxide through these atmospheric chemical reactions within this timeframe.

Therefore, all three statements (1, 2, and 3) are correct.

Sources
  1. [1] https://ejde.math.txstate.edu/conf-proc/17/a1/alexiades.pdf
  2. [2] https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/methane-hydrates-and-contemporary-climate-change-24314790/
  3. [3] https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/activity-methane-hydrate-model.pdf
  4. [4] https://above.nasa.gov/Documents/arctic_in_the_anthropocene.pdf
  5. [5] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 17: Climate Change > CWP & Lifetime of Sreen House Grses: > p. 260
  6. [6] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 17: Climate Change > 17,3.3. Methane > p. 256
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Q. Which of the following statements are correct about the deposits of 'methane hydrate'? 1. Global warming might trigger the release of me…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This question sits at the intersection of 'Unconventional Energy' (Current Affairs) and 'Greenhouse Gas properties' (Static Ecology). While the specific locations of hydrates are often in news (Science & Tech), the oxidation lifetime of methane is a standard textbook fact found in chapters on Climate Change.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Can global warming trigger the release of methane gas from methane hydrate deposits?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"it is feared that global warming may destabilize methane hydrate deposits and release vast amounts of methane to the atmosphere."
Why this source?
  • Directly states that global warming could destabilize methane hydrate deposits.
  • Specifically links destabilization to the release of large amounts of methane to the atmosphere.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Warming a small volume of gas hydrate could thus liberate large volumes of gas."
Why this source?
  • Explains that warming a small volume of hydrate can free a large volume of methane.
  • Frames concern about hydrate stability in the context of potential climate impacts.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The potential for rapid release of methane, as may already be occurring from permafrost areas on the shelf of the East Siberian Sea, is a possibility but poorly understood (IPCC, 2007). About 10,400 gigatonnes of methane are currently stored in hydrate deposits, more than 13 times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere (Dickens, 2003; Kennett et al., 2008)."
Why this source?
  • Notes the possibility of rapid methane release from subsea hydrates as a climate-related concern.
  • Provides context by stating the large quantity of methane stored in hydrate deposits.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 17: Climate Change > 17,3.3. Methane > p. 256
Strength: 4/5
“• Methane (CH4) is emitted by natural sources such as wetlands, as well as human activities such as leakage from natural gas systems and the raising of livestock. • Natural processes in soil and chemical reactions in the atmosphere help remove CH4 from the atmosphere.”
Why relevant

States that methane is emitted by natural sources (wetlands) and from soil/atmospheric processes — showing methane is stored and released naturally from Earth systems.

How to extend

A student could extend this by noting that if natural reservoirs (e.g., sediments, wetlands) release methane under present conditions, warming that alters those reservoirs (temperature, water/ice cover) might increase such releases.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 7: Climate Change > 2. greenhouse gases > p. 11
Strength: 4/5
“Methane is generated by organic processes, such as digestion and rotting in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic processes). About 50 per cent of the excess methane being produced comes from bacterial action in the intestinal tracts of livestock and from underwater bacteria in rice felds. Methane is now believed responsible for at least 12 per cent of the total atmospheric warming, complementing the warming caused by the build-up of CO2 and equaling about one-half the contribution of CFCs.• (iii) Chlorofuorocarbon (CFCs) and Global Warming: Chlorofuorocarbon gases are produced by large manufactured molecules (polymers) containing chlorine, fuorine, and carbon. Tese gases possess remarkable heat properties.”
Why relevant

Explains methane is produced by anaerobic processes (organic matter decaying without oxygen) often in underwater or sedimentary settings.

How to extend

One could infer that warming-induced changes to submerged or frozen sediments could change anaerobic conditions and mobilize stored methane.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 7: Climate Change > 1. Increase in air temperature > p. 8
Strength: 5/5
“According to NASA scientists, the present climatic condition and rise in greenhouse gases have been described as under: Te world is warming. Climatic zones are shifting. Glaciers are melting. Sea-level is rising. Tese are not hypothetical events from a science fction movie; these changes and others are already taking place, and we expect them to accelerate over the next years as the amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and other trace gases accumulated in the atmosphere through human activities increase. Te trend of change in surface temperature for the past 18,000 years has been shown in Fig. 7.1. It may be seen from Fig.”
Why relevant

Notes that the world is warming, glaciers are melting and sea level is rising — i.e., warming alters cryosphere and ocean conditions.

How to extend

Using basic geography, a student can link warming-driven melting/temperature rise to thawing permafrost or warming continental margin sediments where hydrates occur, potentially releasing methane.

INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Mineral and Energy Resources > Natural Gas > p. 59
Strength: 3/5
“Natural Gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is brought to”
Why relevant

Says natural gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is brought up — indicating methane exists in geological reservoirs and can be liberated by changes or disturbance.

How to extend

A student could reason that geological/thermal changes (e.g., warming or destabilization) might similarly free methane from other subsurface reservoirs like hydrates.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 17: Climate Change > CWP & Lifetime of Sreen House Grses: > p. 260
Strength: 4/5
“Carbon dioxide (CO) has a GWP of 1 and serves as a baseline for other GWP values. r The larger the GWP, the more warming the gas causes. For example, methane's 10-year GWP is zrr, *'hiih means that methane will cause zrr times as much warming as an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide over a 10-year time period. • Methane (CH₄) has a GWP more than 20 times higher than CO₂ for a 10-year time scale. CH₄ emitted today lasts for only about 12 years in the atmosphere, on average. However, on a pound-for-pound basis, CH₄ absorbs more energy than CO₂, making its GWP higher. • Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) has a GWP three times that of CO₂ for a 100-year time scale.”
Why relevant

Gives methane a high short-term global warming potential and notes its atmospheric lifetime — implying that any sudden release would have a strong near-term climate effect.

How to extend

Combining this with a plausible warming-driven release, one can assess the potential feedback strength even if the exact release mechanism isn't specified here.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

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With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called 'coalbed methane' and 'shale gas', consider the following statements : 1. Coalbed methane is the pure methane gas extracted from coal seams, while shale gas is a mixture of propane and butane only that can be extracted from fine-grained sedimentary rocks. 2. In India, abundant coalbed methane sources exist, but so far no shale gas sources have been found. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

CAPF · 2013 · Q42 Relevance score: 1.01

Which of the following statements are correct? 1. Sediments of Gondwana System were deposited under marine condition. 2. Rocks of Gondwana System are fossiliferous. 3. Rocks of Gondwana System contain metallic mineral deposits. 4. Gondwana deposition took place in downfaulted trough. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

IAS · 2010 · Q90 Relevance score: 0.98

Due to their extensive rice cultivation, some regions may be contributing to global warming. To what possible reason/reasons is this attributable? 1. The anaerobic conditions associated with rice cultivation cause the emission of methane. 2. When nitrogen based fertilizers are used, nitrous oxide is emitted from the cultivated soil. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Consider the following statements : 1. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a unique initiative of G20 group of countries. 2. The CCAC focuses on methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?