Forecast of Gas Hydrates Distribution Zones in the Arctic Ocean and Adjacent Offshore Areas

• Published in: Geosciences
• Main Authors: Vasily Bogoyavlensky, Aleksei Kishankov, Alisa Yanchevskaya, Igor Bogoyavlensky
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018
• Subjects: gas hydrates; methane; methane hydrates; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; World Ocean; Gulf Stream; pockmarks; CDP seismic; BSR; Geology; QE1-996.5; Laptev Sea; Okhotsk; Climate change; laptev
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8120453; https://doaj.org/article/789eb62aadc24451931e8f9d462c95cf

Gas hydrates (GH) are perspective energy sources, containing significantly more gas resources compared with conventional fields. At the same time, GH pose a danger for exploration and production of hydrocarbon fields. Methane release to the atmosphere is also a substantial factor of climate change. The objective of this research was the forecast of distribution of zones, favorable for GH existence in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent offshore areas, limited by the 45° latitude. For conducting research, existent data of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on near-bottom water temperatures was analyzed. Using CSMHYD software, based on empirical equations of GH stability, minimal depths appropriate for methane hydrates formation at different temperatures were calculated. On the basis of obtained values, a cartographic scheme with a zone favorable for methane hydrates existence was created. The zone corresponded to distribution of BSRs defined in seismic sections, including those discovered for the first time on the continental slope of the Laptev Sea and in the TINRO Depression of the Sea of Okhotsk. Besides, the zone concurred with the results of other authors research, summarized in the geoinformation system “AWO„ (The Arctic and the World Ocean), which could verify the validity of conducted forecast.