- Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) scientists have completed
a two-month expedition off the coast of Oregon to investigate the origin
and distribution of frozen deposits of natural gas known as "gas hydrates."
Funded largely by the National Science Foundation (NSF), their research
could identify locations and quantify amounts of this potential natural
resource, which may eventually serve as a major new worldwide energy source.
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- Among the most surprising findings of the recent offshore
drilling was the fast rate at which gas hydrate is forming. When hydrate
forms rapidly, the salts in the surrounding seafloor sediments do not have
time to diffuse and the water in the sediment becomes saltier than seawater.
Scientist Marta Torres of Oregon State University explained, "We observed
high concentrations of sea salts in the upper 10-15 meters of sediment,
indicating that hydrate is forming very rapidly below the seafloor in this
region."
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- Although scientists know that gas hydrates are common
in the seafloor on the margins of continents around the world, they do
not know how much hydrate is present. Scientists onboard the research vessel
JOIDES Resolution studied the deposits in an area known as Hydrate Ridge
to determine how much gas hydrate is present beneath the seafloor.
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- According to Paul Dauphin, ODP program director at the
National Science Foundation, "Gas hydrates have been known to scientists
for some time, but were previously avoided because of potential safety
problems. Through a better understanding of how to drill in such environments,
ODP is developing tools and strategies to discover the full extent of gas
hydrate deposits."
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- Anne Trehu of Oregon State University (USA), a co-chief
scientist on the cruise, said, "Measurements made during this cruise
will allow us to update estimates of the volume and flux of methane and
other hydrocarbon gases trapped in the sediments on the Oregon continental
margin and, by extension, in other regions."
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- Ocean drilling plays a critical role in addressing questions
about hydrates because it provides the only means available of directly
sampling the material and the sediments that host them deep beneath the
seafloor. In 1995, ODP researchers drilled into gas hydrates in a relatively
stable area off the U.S. east coast. Scientists have estimated that area
could contain enough methane to supply U.S. energy needs for more than
100 years. They also found evidence suggesting that hydrates are involved
in the global climate cycle, and that they can cause massive landslides.
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- On the recent cruise, scientists also gained an understanding
of the importance of sediment composition and grain size in the distribution
of hydrates within the sediments, which may provide clues to their locations.
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- ODP is an international partnership of scientists and
Research institutions organized to study the evolution and structure of
the Earth. While ODP is funded primarily by the US National Science Foundation
and its international partners, the US Department of Energy and the European
Commission played important roles in funding much of the innovative technology
used on this expedition. The Joint Oceanographic Institutions manages the
program. Texas A & M University is responsible for science operations,
and LamontDoherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University is responsible
for logging services.
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- Note: This story has been adapted from a news release
issued by National Science Foundation for journalists and other members
of the public. If you wish to quote from any part of this story, please
credit National Science Foundation as the original source. You may also
wish to include the following link in any citation:
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- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/09/020911072713.htm
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