New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

New assessment of gas locked in ice in European waters

Date:
January 15, 2020
Source:
University of Southampton
Summary:
A study has mapped several sites in Europe containing gas hydrate - a relatively clean fuel which could help bridge the gap between fossil fuels and renewables.
Share:
FULL STORY

A study led by the University of Southampton has mapped several sites in Europe containing gas hydrate -- a relatively clean fuel which could help bridge the gap between fossil fuels and renewables.

Vast amounts of natural gas are stored in an ice-like form beneath the seabed, under the deep seafloor, close to edge of the landmasses that form our continents. This gas hydrate, sometimes known as 'ice that burns', has the potential to play a role as a substitute for coal in the coming decades, until there is sufficient renewable energy to meet society's demands.

This new inventory of gas hydrate deposits was undertaken as part of MIGRATE (Marine Gas Hydrates: An Indigenous Resource of Natural Gas for Europe), a project funded by the European Commission and led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel.

The research showed there are direct or indirect indications of the presence of hydrate at several European sites, including off the west and east coasts of Greenland, on and around the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard (Barents Sea), off central Norway and west of Ireland. It is also present in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Professor Tim Minshull of the University of Southampton, who led a 31 strong-team from 14 countries, said: "We found that gas hydrate is particularly widespread around Svalbard, off Norway and in the Black Sea, but the hydrate systems have only been well investigated in a few areas, so there could be much still to discover.

"Exploiting gas hydrate deposits safely and efficiently presents challenges, for example, converting the hydrate to gas without using up too much energy. But several large feasibility projects are exploring these and other factors."

The study authors point out that having this hydrate inventory may also be important for more acute environmental reasons. If oceans warm due to climate change, hydrate may naturally melt, releasing methane which could change the chemical balance of the oceans. Mapping where this might happen will help scientists to monitor progress.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Southampton. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Timothy A. Minshull, Hector Marín-Moreno, Peter Betlem, Joerg Bialas, Stefan Bünz, Ewa Burwicz, Alejandra L. Cameselle, Gunay Cifci, Michela Giustiniani, Jess I.T. Hillman, Sebastian Hölz, John R. Hopper, Gabriel Ion, Ricardo León, Vitor Magalhaes, Yizhaq Makovsky, Maria-Pilar Mata, Michael D. Max, Tove Nielsen, Seda Okay, Ilia Ostrovsky, Nick O'Neill, Luis M. Pinheiro, Andreia A. Plaza-Faverola, Daniel Rey, Srikumar Roy, Katrin Schwalenberg, Kim Senger, Sunil Vadakkepuliyambatta, Atanas Vasilev, Juan-Tomás Vázquez. Hydrate occurrence in Europe: A review of available evidence. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2020; 111: 735 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.08.014

Cite This Page:

University of Southampton. "New assessment of gas locked in ice in European waters." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 January 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200115130434.htm>.
University of Southampton. (2020, January 15). New assessment of gas locked in ice in European waters. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200115130434.htm
University of Southampton. "New assessment of gas locked in ice in European waters." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200115130434.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES