THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS?
International audience Gas hydrates have been proven by coring at one site in the (eastern) Mediterranean Sea, but their wider extent remains uncertain. Here we present results from investigations of the potential Mediterranean gas hydrate system, suggesting that clathrates occur more widely and hav...
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ftunivnantes:oai:HAL:hal-03315746v1 2023-05-15T17:12:11+02:00 THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? Praeg, Daniel Geletti, Riccardo Wardell, Nigel Unnithan, Vikram Mascle, Jean Migeon, Sebastien Camerlenghi, Angelo Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e di Oceanografia Sperimentale (OGS) Jacobs University Bremen Géoazur (GEOAZUR 7329) Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud ) European Project: 28056,HYDRAMED Edinburgh, United Kingdom 2011-07-17 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/document https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/file/icgh2011Final00322.pdf en eng HAL CCSD info:eu-repo/grantAgreement//28056/EU/Geological Assessment of Gas Hydrates in the Mediterranean Sea/HYDRAMED hal-03315746 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/document https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/file/icgh2011Final00322.pdf info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess 7th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 2011) https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746 7th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 2011), Jul 2011, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Full paper 322, 8 pp gas hydrate stability prospectivity glacial-interglacial climate change [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObject Conference papers 2011 ftunivnantes 2022-06-29T01:17:15Z International audience Gas hydrates have been proven by coring at one site in the (eastern) Mediterranean Sea, but their wider extent remains uncertain. Here we present results from investigations of the potential Mediterranean gas hydrate system, suggesting that clathrates occur more widely and have been strongly impacted by glacial-interglacial climate forcing. Modeling of the methane hydrate stability zone (MHSZ) shows it to be present in most of the Mediterranean Sea, albeit in deep waters (>1000 m) due to warm bottom waters (12.5-14°C) and in greater thicknesses (200-500 m) in the geothermally cooler eastern basin. Comparison of the MHSZ with known or possible zones of gas flux to seabed suggests prospective areas for hydrate occurrence, mainly in the eastern basin. One is the Nile fan, where evidence of the first BSR in the Mediterranean Sea (presented sseparately, Praeg et al. this volume) confirms the potential for additional hydrate discoveries. During glacial stages, gas hydrate stability in the Mediterranean increased due to bottom waters up to 4°C cooler; even allowing for sea levels 125 m lower, the modeled glacial-stage MHSZ was up to 25% thicker and 300 m shallower on basin margins. Glacial-to-interglacial transitions thus corresponded to a marked reduction in hydrate stability, with downslope migration of the upper limit of the MHSZ across depths of c. 700-1000 m. A compilation of submarine landslides in the Mediterranean Sea indicates a peak in the age of slide deposits during the last deglaciation and includes abundant headwalls in mid-to upper slope depths (<1200 m), including on the Nile fan. Together these results suggest that the Mediterranean Sea, in particular its gas-rich eastern basin, offers natural laboratory conditions to test the hypothetical linkages between climate-driven changes in gas hydrate stability and slope instabilities over glacial-interglacial timescales. Conference Object Methane hydrate Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnantes |
language |
English |
topic |
gas hydrate stability prospectivity glacial-interglacial climate change [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences |
spellingShingle |
gas hydrate stability prospectivity glacial-interglacial climate change [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences Praeg, Daniel Geletti, Riccardo Wardell, Nigel Unnithan, Vikram Mascle, Jean Migeon, Sebastien Camerlenghi, Angelo THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? |
topic_facet |
gas hydrate stability prospectivity glacial-interglacial climate change [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences |
description |
International audience Gas hydrates have been proven by coring at one site in the (eastern) Mediterranean Sea, but their wider extent remains uncertain. Here we present results from investigations of the potential Mediterranean gas hydrate system, suggesting that clathrates occur more widely and have been strongly impacted by glacial-interglacial climate forcing. Modeling of the methane hydrate stability zone (MHSZ) shows it to be present in most of the Mediterranean Sea, albeit in deep waters (>1000 m) due to warm bottom waters (12.5-14°C) and in greater thicknesses (200-500 m) in the geothermally cooler eastern basin. Comparison of the MHSZ with known or possible zones of gas flux to seabed suggests prospective areas for hydrate occurrence, mainly in the eastern basin. One is the Nile fan, where evidence of the first BSR in the Mediterranean Sea (presented sseparately, Praeg et al. this volume) confirms the potential for additional hydrate discoveries. During glacial stages, gas hydrate stability in the Mediterranean increased due to bottom waters up to 4°C cooler; even allowing for sea levels 125 m lower, the modeled glacial-stage MHSZ was up to 25% thicker and 300 m shallower on basin margins. Glacial-to-interglacial transitions thus corresponded to a marked reduction in hydrate stability, with downslope migration of the upper limit of the MHSZ across depths of c. 700-1000 m. A compilation of submarine landslides in the Mediterranean Sea indicates a peak in the age of slide deposits during the last deglaciation and includes abundant headwalls in mid-to upper slope depths (<1200 m), including on the Nile fan. Together these results suggest that the Mediterranean Sea, in particular its gas-rich eastern basin, offers natural laboratory conditions to test the hypothetical linkages between climate-driven changes in gas hydrate stability and slope instabilities over glacial-interglacial timescales. |
author2 |
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e di Oceanografia Sperimentale (OGS) Jacobs University Bremen Géoazur (GEOAZUR 7329) Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud ) European Project: 28056,HYDRAMED |
format |
Conference Object |
author |
Praeg, Daniel Geletti, Riccardo Wardell, Nigel Unnithan, Vikram Mascle, Jean Migeon, Sebastien Camerlenghi, Angelo |
author_facet |
Praeg, Daniel Geletti, Riccardo Wardell, Nigel Unnithan, Vikram Mascle, Jean Migeon, Sebastien Camerlenghi, Angelo |
author_sort |
Praeg, Daniel |
title |
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? |
title_short |
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? |
title_full |
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? |
title_fullStr |
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? |
title_full_unstemmed |
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A NATURAL LABORATORY TO STUDY GAS HYDRATE DYNAMICS? |
title_sort |
mediterranean sea: a natural laboratory to study gas hydrate dynamics? |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/document https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/file/icgh2011Final00322.pdf |
op_coverage |
Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
genre |
Methane hydrate |
genre_facet |
Methane hydrate |
op_source |
7th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 2011) https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746 7th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 2011), Jul 2011, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Full paper 322, 8 pp |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement//28056/EU/Geological Assessment of Gas Hydrates in the Mediterranean Sea/HYDRAMED hal-03315746 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/document https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03315746/file/icgh2011Final00322.pdf |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
_version_ |
1766068967251640320 |