[NormsRevenge]

A computer-generated graphic of an underwater volcano off the shores of southern Italy, released June 22, 2006. An underwater volcano with a base larger than Washington D.C. has been discovered just off the shores of Sicily, a scientist with Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology said on Thursday. NO ARCHIVES NO SALES EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/HO/Roberta Tedeschi-VIRTUAL GEO (ITALY)

[proudpapa]

And I thought they weren't making any more water front property????

[P-40]

An underwater volcano with a base larger than Washington D.C.

But does it emit as much steam, gas, and hot air as DC? And is it as violent?

[Wiggins]

No comment. My family's roots can be traced back to the old country. Omerta.

[Wuli]

(1) The seas comprise 2/3 of the earth's surface, are not mapped in detail everywhere, have not been explored in detail and contain thousands of features like the one described here, many of which do have some ongoing level of activity, if only the continuous slow (not "eruptions") release of extremely hot steam and gases.

(2) The seas, next to the sun, represent the next single largest single factor in the dynamics of world weather patterns, because of the literally unmatched degree to which the seas conduct the exchange of heat and moisture with the atmosphere.

(3) In lieu of (1) and (2) above, volcanism, below the seas, in all its forms - lava, fissures releasing steam and gases and simply the termperature difference of the ground just above hot volcanic sources - represents one of the largest missing segments of data on natural sources of global warming, in nearly all "global warming" data models.

And as we know - GIGO - garbage in, garbage out.

As a related anecdotal point: A very large area in the far north-central Pacific Ocean developed a hot-spot a couple years back (very high surface water temperature) and climatologists then and now cannot identify a cause for the hot spot in the circulation patterns of the Pacific Ocean (such as incoming warmer water from the south Pacific getting deposited and remaining there).

Many such features exist at the bottom of the oceans and are dispersed and contribute to the general temperature and flow of the oceans, before reaching the surface as a distinct source.

[GingisK]

volcano with a base larger than Washington D.C. has been discovered just off the shores of Sicily

Now, if we could just move it to DC, where it belongs...