Hydrates and the Climate Connection
This story entered on 27th Apr, 2004 09:54:44 AM PST

Recent literature has highlighted the potential role of seafloor gas hydrates in global climate change. However, there is disparity between how much methane may theoretically reach the atmosphere from seafloor sources and the current estimates of sources from land-based sampling stations.

To further define this issue and design a measuring program to determine the contribution of seafloor gas hydrates to the atmosphere, NOAA's Undersea Research Program (NURP) and Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Lab (CMDL) have partnered to organize a workshop to: (1) foster partnerships between NOAA climate/carbon measurers and modelers and academic seafloor hydrates experts; and (2) develop an experimental program designed to assess the contribution of hydrates to the atmospheric methane inventory and global carbon cycle.

A consortium of programs including NOAA through NURP and CMDL, the Department of Energy, U.S. Minerals Management Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey are sponsoring the workshop.

The workshop will be held on May 13-14, 2004 at CMDL in Boulder, CO.

Contact information
Name: Andy Shepard
Tel: (910) 962-2441
sheparda@uncwil.edu