Edited by S.R. Dallimore and T.S. Collett
Co-editors: S.R. Dallimore, T.S. Collett, A.E. Taylor, T. Uchida, M. Weber, A. Chandra, T.H. Mroz, E.M. Caddel, and T. Inoue

Mallik is an Inuktitut word meaning "place which experiences waves, or stormy seas". Located in Canada's Arctic at the edge of the Mackenzie Delta and the Beaufort Sea, there can be no doubt that the Mallik drill site often experiences adverse weather conditions. The Inuit knew this place well, and took care to use caution when travelling over the land or on the water. In recent years, however, Mallik has come to be known as more than just an Inuit site prone to stormy weather. Scientists and engineers from around the world who are interested in the energy potential and climate-change implications of natural gas hydrate have come to know this site as the location of leading-edge research.

The science and engineering results presented in this volume are truly extraordinary, as is the chronicle of the Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well Program itself. Five countries participated in this partnership, with the lead agencies being Natural Resources Canada (Geological Survey of Canada), the Japan National Oil Corporation (JNOC), GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Energy (USDOE), the India Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG)-Gas Authority of India (GAIL), and the BP-ChevronTexaco Mackenzie Delta Joint Venture (formerly the BP-ChevronTexaco-Burlington Joint Venture). A substantially expanded science program for the well was enabled through the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP).

The 63 technical research papers and accompanying databases presented in this publication are far reaching in their impact, and provide an extraordinary level of detail on one of the world's most concentrated gas hydrate deposits. Important new work and insight are presented on gas hydrate production testing. New studies are reported on in situ physical and geophysical properties of gas hydrate, with complementary studies on an extensive coring program. New appraisals are presented on the relevance of gas hydrate to energy, climate, and geohazard research. We are proud of the efforts of all 300 scientists and engineers involved in the Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well Program, and we hope that the body of work we have contributed to the public forum will leave a mark in this fast-growing and important research field.

Irwin Itzkovitch
Assistant Deputy Minister
Earth Sciences Sector
Natural Resources Canada

Tsuneo Shimamura
Executive Director, Member of the Board
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation

Rolf Emmermann
Scientific Executive Director and Chairman of the Executive Board
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Germany

Charles Groat
Director
United States Geological Survey

V.K. Sibal
Director General
Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, India

Robert Ball
BP-ChevronTexaco Mackenzie Delta Joint Venture

Brad Tomer
Director, Office of Natural Gas
Strategic Center for Natural Gas and Oil
United States Department of Energy

GSC Bulletin 585 is available from the GSC Bookstore and related sales outlets