Capitol Hill Oceans Week 2003
Rayburn House Office Building - Washington, D.C.
June 11, 2003
“Methane Hydrates:
An Earth System Science Perspective”
Dr. Frank R. Rack, Joint Oceanographic Institutions
1755 Massachusetts Ave., NW; Suite 700;
Washington, D.C. 20036-2102
Tel: (202) 939-1624; Fax: (202) 462-8754
Email: frack@joiscience.org
http://www.joiscience.org
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General Outline of this Presentation
• What are methane hydrates and where are they found?
• Accomplishments of scientific ocean drilling (DSDP, ODP) in
support of global, interdisciplinary methane hydrate research.
• Key methane hydrate research topics and questions; industry
perspective on methane hydrate resource potential.
• What have we learned about naturally-occurring marine
methane hydrates? Adopting an “Earth System Science”
approach to methane hydrate research.
• International, industry-led methane hydrate research and
development projects (Gulf of Mexico, Japan, India).
• Summary statement and acknowledgements.
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What are methane hydrates and how do they form?
The term “methane hydrate” means: (A) a
methane clathrate that is in the form of a
methane-water ice-like crystalline material
that is stable and occurs naturally in deepocean and permafrost environments; and, (B)
other natural gas hydrates (e.g., ethane,
higher order hydrocarbons) that are found in
association with deep-ocean and permafrost
deposits of methane hydrate.
(Section 201 of the Mining and Minerals Policy Act
of 1970, as amended by P.L. 106-193: Methane
Hydrate Research & Development Act of 2000)
•
•
•
Methane + Water
Moderately High Pressures
Moderately Low Temperatures
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How much methane do hydrates contain?
Hydrate provides very efficient storage of methane
gas (ENERGY). When hydrate is brought to the
surface from depth in the sediments about 164 times
the volume of gas is released, along with a small
quantity of water. Global estimates of the methane
stored in hydrate deposits are as large as 700,000
TCF (trillion cubic feet of gas); U.S. potential
resource estimates are from 100,000 to 300,000 TCF.
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Photo by Dr. Gary Klinkhammer
Oregon State University
Methane Hydrate Research
Where are hydrates found?
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DSDP/ODP Achievements in Scientific Ocean Drilling
Achievements in scientific ocean drilling have set the stage for understanding
the complex linkages among the different parts of the dynamic Earth system
(including methane hydrates).
“The Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP: 1968-1983) validated the theory of
plate tectonics, began to develop a high-resolution chronology associated with
study of ocean circulation changes, and carried out preliminary exploration
of all of the major ocean basins except the high Arctic.
The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP: 1985-2003), capitalizing on DSDP’s
momentum, probed deeper into the ocean crust to study its architecture,
analyzed convergent margin tectonics and associated fluid flow, and
examined the genesis and evolution of oceanic plateaus and volcanic
continental margins. ODP has also greatly extended our knowledge of longand short-term climate change.”
“Earth, Oceans and Life” (2001) IODP Initial Science Plan, 2003-2013
For more information, see URL: http://www.iodp.org
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D/V JOIDES Resolution
Research Vessel of the Ocean Drilling Program
The JOIDES Resolution is a uniquely outfitted dynamically-positioned drill ship, that
has a seven-story laboratory complex onboard. This vessel has used by the Ocean
Drilling Program (ODP) since 1985 to conduct worldwide scientific coring operations.
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DSDP/ODP Studies of Naturally-Occurring
Oceanic Methane Hydrate Deposits
Leg 204
Hydrate Ridge
Legs 11, 76 & 164
Blake Ridge
Leg 201
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DSDP/ODP Methane Hydrate Research:
Accomplishments (1970-1990)
• 1970 - 1st BSR drilled, DSDP Leg 11: Blake Ridge (offshore Carolinas)
• 1979 - hydrate samples observed in core, DSDP Leg 66: W. Mexican Margin
• 1979 - hydrate samples preserved in LN2, DSDP Leg 67: Guatemala Margin
• 1980 - 1st use of the Pressure Core Barrel (PCB), DSDP Leg 76: Blake Ridge
• 1982 - 1.5 m-long massive hydrate sample recovered, DSDP Leg 84:
Guatemala Margin (used in cooperative federal hydrate research program)
• 1983 - Microbiology & hydrates, DSDP Leg 96: Gulf of Mexico
• 1986 - Hydrates in slope sediments; 1st scientific use of the wireline Pressure
Core Sampler (PCS): ODP Leg 112: Peru Margin
• 1989 - Hydrates in Sea of Japan, ODP Leg 127: offshore western Japan
• 1990 - Hydrates in Nankai Trough, ODP Leg 131: offshore eastern Japan
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ODP Methane Hydrate Research:
Accomplishments (1991-2003)
• 1992 - Drilled through BSR (installed CORK), Leg 146: offshore Cascadia
Margin (Vancouver Island to Oregon - N. Hydrate Ridge)
• 1995 - 1st dedicated hydrate expedition, Leg 164: Blake Ridge (offshore
Carolinas) - using geophysical data and drilling to test models
• 1997 - LWD data from hydrate-bearing sediments, Leg 170: Costa Rican
Margin (ground-truth and modeling of geophysical data)
• 2000-2001 - accretionary prism, LWD, advanced CORK installations in a
region with gas hydrates, Legs 190 and 196: Nankai Trough (offshore Japan)
• 2002 - 1st dedicated microbiology expedition, Leg 201: Peru Margin
(investigating interrelationships between hydrates and microbiology)
• 2002 - 2nd dedicated hydrate expedition, Leg 204: southern Hydrate Ridge
(offshore Oregon); additional funds provided by NSF, DOE/NETL, USGS,
European Commission (HYACINTH project).
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Where is the gas hydrate stability zone in ocean sediments?
Thermocline
Figure courtesy of Dr. Bill Dillon (USGS, retired)
and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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Where is the gas hydrate stability zone in ocean sediments?
Figure courtesy of Dr. Bill Dillon (USGS, retired) and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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Mapping of bottom simulating reflector (BSR) and
gas hydrate distribution - offshore eastern United States
Location of
slope stability
slide presented
later in talk
Blake Ridge
ODP Leg 164
Figure courtesy of Dr. Bill Dillon (USGS, retired) and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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Characteristics of bottom simulating reflector (BSR)
ODP Leg 164 - Blake Ridge and Carolina Rise
Figure courtesy of Dr. Steve Holbrook (University of Wyoming)
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What do naturally-occurring hydrates look like?
Hydrate sample recovered during ODP Leg 164 on Blake Ridge
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Examples of gas hydrate distribution in sediment
Figure courtesy of Dr. Tim Collett (USGS) and the National Research Council of Canada
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Methane Hydrate Natural Laboratory:
Hydrate Ridge, Offshore Oregon - ODP Leg 204
Figure courtesy of Dr. Chris Goldfinger
(Oregon State University)
From Trehu, Bohrmann, Rack, et al.,
2002. ODP Leg 204 Preliminary Report
Figures courtesy of Dr. Bill Dillon (USGS, retired)
and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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Instrumented Borehole Observatories for Hydrate Studies
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Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000
(P.L. 106-193) – Interagency (DOE, DOI, DOD, DOC, NSF)
Methane Hydrate Research Program – Key Questions:
• Resource Characterization - What are the quantities,
locations, and properties of naturally-occurring hydrate?
• Safety and Seafloor Stability - What is needed to ensure
safety and mitigate the environmental impacts of hydrate?
• Global Climate Change - What are the environmental
impacts and the role of hydrate in the global carbon cycle?
• Hydrocarbon Production - What is required to produce
commercial quantities of methane gas from hydrates?
Questions modified from DOE/NETL National Hydrate R&D Program
overview presentation, Brad Tomer, August 2000.
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Resource Characterization and Economic Potential:
How does industry evaluate a commercial hydrate prospect?
• hydrocarbon source, timing, and migration pathways; reservoir rock, seal,
stratigraphic or structural trap
• infrastructure (e.g., rigs, pipelines; if already in place, then huge benefit)
• access to acreage (exploration and exploitation regulatory framework)
• economic production technology (e.g., passive and/or active production
methods: (1) natural hydrate dissociation, (2) lower pressure of formation,
(3) add heat energy, or (4) inject solvents - ethanol, glycol)
• recoverability - rate that selected production method(s) can safely get the
gas from hydrate out of the ground with minimal environmental impact
• basic economic metric = gas recovered per well drilled (taking into account
the daily production rate; operating cost; market price of gas; competition
with other sources of conventional energy)
Expected Value = Potential Revenues - Production Cost + Risk
Summary provided by Dr. Art Johnson (Chevron, retired) and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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How might gas hydrates influence slope stability?
Mapping of submarine slope failures shows a strong relationship
between sediment mass movements and the presence of gas hydrate.
Figure courtesy of Dr. James Booth (USGS) and Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
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How might gas hydrates influence slope stability?
Figure courtesy of Dr. Bill Dillon (USGS, retired) and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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Migration of gas along faults and hydrate formation
Figure courtesy of Dr. Ian MacDonald
(Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi)
Figure courtesy of Dr. Bill Dillon (USGS, retired)
and Hydrate Energy International (HEI)
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Biogeochemical Cycles and Chemosynthetic Communities:
An Earth System Science Approach
Trehu, Bohrmann, Rack, et al., 2002. ODP Leg 204 Preliminary Report
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Biogeochemical and Fluid Processes on Continental Margins:
An Earth System Science Approach
Microbial
methanogenesis
Thermogenic hydrocarbon
migration from depth
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How are hydrates incorporated into carbon cycle models?
Conventional Global Carbon Cycle
Volcanoes
Organic
Oxidation
Biomass
Atmosphere
Warm Surface Water
Carbonate &
Silicate
Weathering
Thermocline
Organic
Carbon Burial
Carbonate
Cold
S.W.
Accumulation
Deep
Ocean
Modified from Dickens, AGU Monograph 124, 2001
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Volcanoes
Organic
Oxidation
Biomass
Atmosphere
OH• Oxidation
Warm Surface Water
Carbonate &
Silicate
Weathering
Thermocline
Organic
Carbon Burial
Carbonate
Cold
S.W.
Accumulation
Deep
Ocean
Anaerobic
CH4 oxidation
or direct
injection of
free gas
Aerobic Oxidation
Gas Hydrate
Temp.
Methanogenesis of
organic matter and
saturation of pore
waters to form hydrate
Free Gas
Modified from Dickens, AGU Monograph 124, 2001
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What have we learned about gas hydrate?
• Hydrate is a frozen crystalline solid consisting of “cages” of water
molecules that surround and hold gas molecules (primarily methane) inside.
• Hydrate formation requires a source of carbon (e.g., methane gas - CH4),
fresh water, moderately low temperatures and moderately high pressures.
• Hydrate deposits are widespread along many continental margins, from
the seafloor to the base of the hydrate stability zone in water depths greater
than about 500 meters, and in the Arctic below the permafrost. Free gas
may be present below the zone of hydrate stability in many areas.
• Hydrate deposits contain a huge quantity of stored carbon – estimated to
be about 2 times the amount of carbon stored in all known hydrocarbon
resources (petroleum, natural gas, and coal, as well as less economic
resources contained in tar sands and oil shales).
• Estimates of the global distribution and volume of hydrates are largely
based on geophysical mapping and interpretation, modeling results, and
limited “ground truth” provided by coring and drilling.
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What have we learned about gas hydrate?
• Hydrate is unstable at Earth surface conditions (i.e., material will change
from a solid to a gas when removed from the gas hydrate stability zone).
• Hydrate deposits in seafloor sediments may influence slope stability.
Submarine slope failure and the mass movement of sediment may result
from the destabilization of subsurface hydrate deposits following a change
in stability conditions (e.g., change in pressure or temperature).
• Hydrates are an unconventional (potential) energy resource. Industry
seeks to understand hydrates to improve operational safety and to avoid
hazards (e.g., placement of infrastructure on seafloor, drilling and
production scenarios) as well as to understand their resource potential.
• Low concentrations of hydrate are associated with shales (fine-grained
sediments, low energy environments): resource potential is probably low.
• High concentrations of hydrate are associated with sands (coarse-grained
sediments, high energy environments): higher potential for future hydrate
exploration and production efforts due to higher porosity and permeability.
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Potential Methane Hydrate Prospects Offshore USA:
Gulf of Mexico - Outer Continental Shelf and Slope
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Potential Methane Hydrate Prospects Offshore Japan
MITI Nankai Trough (1999)
Figure courtesy of Dr. Yuichiro Ichikawa (Japan National Oil Corporation)
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Potential Methane Hydrate Prospects Offshore India
6600
7000
7400
7800
8200
8500
9000
9400
22
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22
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18
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18
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14
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14
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10
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10
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6600
7000
7400
7800
8200
8500
9000
Figure courtesy of Dr. Pushpendra Kumar (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, India)
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9400
Methane Hydrate Research Needs
• The rates of hydrate formation and dissociation, the periods over which the deposits
have formed, as well as their interactions with microorganisms are not well
understood. Without such an understanding, it is impossible to accurately model the
global carbon cycle and to effectively model the dynamics and global consequences of
natural hydrate deposits. Integrated, multi-disciplinary scientific expeditions are
essential for addressing these fundamental research questions about hydrates.
• Detailed, high-quality geophysical data (e.g., 2-D and 3-D multi-channel seismic,
multi-beam bathymetry, side-scan sonar surveys) and are needed to quantify and
characterize the distribution and geoacoustic properties of hydrates on continental
margins. Settings with different rates of hydrate formation and dissociation and
different modes of methane transport must then be drilled to provide “ground truth”
and observational data to support geophysical and model interpretations.
• Long-term monitoring of in situ pressure, temperature, fluid flow and other
fundamental properties and processes related to hydrate deposits is required (e.g.,
using instrumented boreholes and seafloor observatories) to understand and quantify
hydrate dynamics and to improve models. Integrated database development is
essential for the success of these activities (e.g., need capability for data fusion).
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Future Scientific Ocean Drilling Plans and ICEY HOPE
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will be established with
funding from NSF (U.S.), MEXT (Japan), and other international partners
beginning in October 2003. Scientific planning for IODP is underway.
The Initial Science Plan for IODP includes focused studies of the “Deep
Biosphere and the Subseafloor Ocean” with an initiative on gas hydrates
(for more information see: http://www.iodp.org).
“Interdisciplinary Collaborative Expeditions for a Year of
Hydrate Observations and Perturbation Experiments” (ICEY HOPE):
Initial concept for a series of exploratory ocean drilling expeditions to
establish a globally distributed array of instrumented borehole sites which
can be used to monitor naturally-occurring hydrates from a range of marine
environments (e.g., low to high flux) to assess rates, reduce uncertainties, and
improve fundamental understanding of dynamic biogeochemical and
physical processes through time-series measurements, sensor deployments,
perturbation experiments, and integrated interdisciplinary process studies.
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Acknowledgements
The information presented in this talk represents a synthesis of the hydrate research efforts
and presentations made by a large number of colleagues and collaborators. In particular, I
would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions:
William Dillon (USGS, retired), Arthur Johnson (Chevron, retired), and Michael Max
(formerly at NRL), all presently at Hydrate Energy International (HEI); Tim Collett (USGS,
Denver); Scott Dallimore (Geological Survey of Canada); Keith Kvenvolden, Tom Lorenson,
Steve Kirby, Laura Stern (USGS, Menlo Park); Bill Winters, Bill Waite, Debbie Hutchinson
(USGS, Woods Hole); Charles Paull and William Ussler (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute); Dendy Sloan (Colorado School of Mines); Carolyn Ruppel (Georgia Institute of
Technology); Gerald Dickens (Rice University); Miriam Kaster (Scripps Institution of
Oceanography); Mahlon “Chuck” Kennicutt, William Bryant, Roger Sassen, William Sager
(Texas A&M University); Ian MacDonald (Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi); Steve
Holbrook (University of Wyoming); Jean Whelan (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution);
Harry Roberts (Louisiana State University); Tom McGee and Robert Woolsey (University of
Mississippi); Emrys Jones, Ben Bloys, James Schumacher (ChevronTexaco); Tom Williams
(Maurer Technology/Noble Drilling Corporation); Yuichiro Ichikawa (Japan National Oil
Corporation); Pushpendra Kumar (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, India); and the
scientists, engineers, and technical staff onboard ODP Leg 204 (see following slide).
I would also like to acknowledge the financial support and encouragement provided by the
U.S. National Science Foundation, Ocean Drilling Program and the U.S. Department of
Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory to Joint Oceanographic Institutions.
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ODP Leg 204 Participants
Co-Chief Scientists: Gerhard Bohrmann (GEOMAR, Christian-Albrechts Universitat zu Kiel, Germany) and
Anne M. Trehu (Oregon State University); Staff Scientist: Frank Rack (Joint Oceanographic Institutions);
Shipboard Scientists: Walter S. Borowski (Eastern Kentucky University), Hitoshi Tomaru (University of
Tokyo, Japan), Marta E. Torres (Oregon State University), George E. Claypool (Consultant, Lakewood CO),
Young-Joo Lee (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Korea), Alexei Milkov (Texas A&M
University), Gerald R. Dickens (Rice University), Timothy S. Collett (U.S. Geological Survey, Denver), Nathan
Bangs (University of Texas at Austin), Martin Vanneste (University of Tromso, Norway), Melanie Holland
(Arizona State University), Mark E. Delwiche (Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory),
Mahito Watanabe (Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Japan), Char-Shine Liu (National Taiwan University,
Taiwan), Philip E. Long (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), Michael Riedel (Geological Survey of
Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre, Canada), Peter Schultheiss (GEOTEK Ltd., United Kingdom), Eulalia
Gracia (Institute of Earth Sciences, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain), Joel E. Johnson (Oregon State University), Xin
Su (China University of Geosciences, People’s Republic of China), Barbara Teichert (GEOMAR, ChristianAlbrechts Universitat zu Kiel, Germany), Jill L. Weinberger (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University
of California, San Diego), David S. Goldberg (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University),
Samantha R. Barr (University of Leicester, United Kingdom), Gilles Guèrin (Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory, Columbia University); Shipboard Engineers: Michael A. Storms, Derryl Schroeder, and Kevin
Grigar (Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University), Roeland Baas and Floris Tuynder (Fugro
Engineers, The Netherlands), Felix Weise (Technical University of Clausthal, Germany), Thjunjoto (Technical
University of Berlin, Germany), Terry Langsdorf and Ko-Min Tjok (Fugro-McClelland Engineers, USA),
Kerry Swain, Herbert Leyton, Stefan Mrozewski and Khaled Moudjeber (Schlumberger Offshore Services,
USA); Shipboard Technical Staff: Brad Julson, Tim Bronk, Angie Miller, John Beck, Roy Davis, Jason
Deardorf, Sandy Dillard, Dennis Graham, Jessica Huckemeyer, Margaret Hastedt, Brian Jones, Peter
Kannberg, Jan Jurie Kotze, Erik Moortgat, Peter Pretorius, John W.P. Riley, Johanna Suhonen, Paul Teniere,
Robert Wheatley (all at Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University)
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