Sampling the marine gas-hydrate reservoir: Assessing the methane inventory, internal dynamics, and potential of methane discharges to the atmosphere. Final progress report

摘要

The status of the pore water and sediment core analysis of the surface sediments that overlie a major gas-hydrate field on the Carolina Continental Rise and Blake Ridge is reported here. Funding from NIGEC's southern regional center provided support for a cruise of the RV Cape Hatteras in September 1992 (CH-11-92) on which 20 piston cores were taken. However, over the last 18 months we have had the opportunity to collect an additional 35 piston cores in this region, in part through the assistance of another DOE funded project that is being run by the USGS. At this date, we have pore water data from 55 piston cores which gives us both a regional and a site-specific insight into the processes in this region. It is our intention to combine the results of all these cores to arrive at a unified understanding of the processes acting on the continental margin which influence gas-hydrate formation and distribution. Some of the highlights of this work and some of accomplishments of this project to-date are outlined.