Summary

Gas-hydrate deposits are complex systems whose stability is highly affected by climate, oceanographic, and tectonic process, resulting in a dynamic seafloor. The availability of new technologies combined with the capabilities of scientific ocean drilling and ocean observing programs are now making long-term monitoring of these systems possible for the first time.

Ocean Leadership sponsored the Gas-Hydrate Observatories Workshop to develop strategies to monitor gas-hydrate deposits using instrumented boreholes. The workshop brought together scientists and engineers to discuss possible observatory designs and deployment strategies towards the goal of successful implementation within the next several years.

Workshop Final Report (pdf)

Goals

The workshop focused on a plan to implement needed technologies for a successful monitoring program of gas hydrates. The workshop defined: (1) key scientific questions that require boreholes monitoring of gas hydrates, (2) required engineering advances and outstanding challenges for instruments, tools, and sensors, (3) funding pathways for the development of instruments, tools, and sensors, (4) synergies linking borehole monitoring of gas hydrates to cable-observatory science and testing strategies, and (5) outreach opportunities.

Pre-Meeting Documents

Background:

Preliminary Agenda (PDF; 22 kb)
Background Document (PDF; 1.84 Mb)
Workshop Abstracts (PDF; 412 kb)

Drilling Proposals:

533 Cascadia (PDF; 1.2 Mb)
553 Cascadia Phase 2 (PDF; 744 kB)
635 Hydrate Ridge (PDF; 2.8 Mb)
663 Perturbation Exp. (PDF; 148 kb)

Instrumentation:

Cable Connected Well Heads (PDF; 217 kb)
NSF-funded DTS SGER Proposal (PDF; 1.3 Mb)
SeisCORK (PDF; 2.6 Mb)
Methane Sensors – SpecSheet Contros (PDF; 26 kb)
Methane Sensors – SpecsMethane (PDF; 391 kb)

Observatory Proposals:

Neptune (PDF; 448 kb)
OOI RFA – NEPHOS (PDF; 988 kb)

Prior Workshop Reports:

CORK (PDF; 1.2 Mb)
Downhole Tools (PDF; 388 kb)
IODP and OOI (PDF; 4.4 Mb)

Organizing Committee

Earl Davis, National Research Council Canada
Ian MacDonald, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
Charlie Paull, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Michael Riedel, McGill University (co-chair)
Marta Torres, Oregon State University (co-chair)
Anne Trehu, Oregon State University (co-chair)