Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 December 18
                                      [2]
                    Methane Bubbles Frozen in Lake Baikal
                Image Credit & Copyright: Kristina Makeeva [3]

Explanation: What are these bubbles frozen into Lake Baikal? Methane [4] .
Lake Baikal, a UNESCO [5] World Heritage Site [6]  in Russia [7] , is the
world's largest (by volume), oldest, and deepest lake, containing over 20% of
the world's fresh water. The lake is also a vast storehouse of methane, a
greenhouse gas [8]  that, if released, could potentially increase the amount
of infrared light absorbed by Earth's atmosphere [9] , and so increase the
average temperature of the entire planet. Fortunately, the amount of methane
[10]  currently bubbling out [11] is not climatologically important. It is not
clear what would happen [12] , though, were temperatures to significantly
increase in the region [13] , or if the water level in Lake Baikal [14]  were
to drop. Pictured [15] , bubbles of rising methane froze [16]  during winter
into the exceptionally clear ice [17]  covering the lake [18] .

                      Tomorrow's picture: sky searchers

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [30] (MTU [31] ) & Jerry Bonnell [32]
                                  (UMCP [33] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [34] .
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                           & Michigan Tech. U. [39]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1812/BaikalBubbles_Makeeva_1000.jpg
  [3] https://www.flickr.com/photos/23502952@N03/
  [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane
  [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO
  [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site
  [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
  [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect
  [9] https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/atmosphere/en/
  [10]
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
236143909_Sources_and_sinks_of_methane_in_Lake_Baikal_A_synthesis_of_
measurements_and_modeling
  [11]
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2785/
unexpected-future-boost-of-methane-possible-from-arctic-permafrost/
  [12] http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2016/12/lake-baikal.html
  [13]
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/30/
siberian-craters-big-releases-of-methane-could-pose-broad-problems.html
  [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
  [15]
https://petapixel.com/2017/01/17/
photographing-frozen-baikal-deepest-oldest-lake-earth/
  [16]
http://www.lakescientist.com/frozen-methane-gas-supports-life-lake-baikal/
  [17] https://youtu.be/r_izDyWAid4
  [18]
http://siberiantimes.com/ecology/casestudy/features/
f0278-gone-endemic-baikal-sponge-has-died-completely-in-several-areas-of-the-
vast-lake/
  [19] ap181217.html
  [20] archivepix.html
  [21] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [22] lib/aptree.html
  [23] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [24] calendar/allyears.html
  [25] /apod.rss
  [26] lib/edlinks.html
  [27] lib/about_apod.html
  [28] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=181218
  [29] ap181219.html
  [30] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [31] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [32] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [33] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [34] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [36] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [37] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [38] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [39] http://www.mtu.edu/

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