Canadian research team drills for gas hydrate deposits

Original source:
http://www.vicnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=36&cat=23&id=536174&more=

Summary:

• It is solid methyl hydrate, scooped off the ocean floor off Victoria and photographed before it sublimed to natural gas.
• "We probably sacrificed a lot of our sample by taking a photo of this," admitted Riedel, a research scientist with Natural Resources Canada working out of the Geological Survey of Canada laboratory in Sidney.
• Riedel was part of a Canadian team that lured the deep-sea drilling research vessel, JOIDES Resolution to Canadian waters to sample elusive gas hydrates deposits about 100 kilometres off Victoria.
• In the turbulent October waters, the ship slowly lowered its drilling apparatus 300 metres down, and collected 10-metre core samples.
• It is hard to imagine a bubble so big that it could endanger the 143-metre long ship, but some of the test sites Riedel proposed were nixed for this reason.
• They discovered that gas hydrates only form in a thin layer in the ocean floor, higher up than they thought, and only in sand.
• Gas hydrates are mix of natural gas (mostly methane) and ice that form under pressure in cold water.
• If the hydrates dissolve because the temperature rises or the pressure drops, the layers of sand and silt can slump, triggering a tsunami.
• Depending on how much methane is sequestered in gas hydrates, one theory goes that a relatively small temperature rise in the ocean could hasten global warming as the methane bubbled off.
• But perhaps the main reason methyl hydrates are such a hot research topic is that methane is a relatively clean fossil fuel, the main hydrocarbon in natural gas.
• If the gas hydrate forms in narrow bands and only in sand, that might be why scientists often miss it or find it in one spot, but not 50 metres away.

See more articles and news on gas hydrate

Stay informed

• 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime.
• Absolutely no spam. We respect your privacy.
• Choose from topics like natural health, renewable energy, the environment, emerging technology and more.
• Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.

This page powered by the WebSeed Content Management System (CMS) created by Mike Adams.

Water Cures: Drugs Kill : How Water Cured Incurable Diseases

In 1992, the book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" introduced a medical breakthrough to the public: the awesome medicinal properties of a simple glass of water for the treatment...

Related article:
Old coal mine sees new life as a fuel cell plant

Free downloadable books and reports on health, disease prevention and emerging technology at TruthPublishing.com.