Glacigenic sedimentation pulses triggered postglacial gas hydrate dissociation

Source at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03043-z . Large amounts of methane are stored in continental margins as gas hydrates. They are stable under high pressure and low, but react sensitively to environmental changes. Bottom water temperature and sea level changes were considered as main contr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature Communications
Main Authors: Karstens, Jens, Haflidason, Haflidi, Becker, Lukas W.M., Berndt, Christian, Rüpke, Lars, Planke, Sverre, Liebetrau, Volker, Schmidt, Markus, Mienert, Jürgen
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2018
Subjects:
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450::Hydrogeologi: 467
VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450::Hydrogeology: 467
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450::Hydrologi: 454
VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450::Hydrology: 454
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450::Sedimentologi: 456
VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450::Sedimentology: 456
Norway
Arctic
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12716
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03043-z
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Summary:Source at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03043-z . Large amounts of methane are stored in continental margins as gas hydrates. They are stable under high pressure and low, but react sensitively to environmental changes. Bottom water temperature and sea level changes were considered as main contributors to gas hydrate dynamics after the last glaciation. However, here we show with numerical simulations that pulses of increased sedimentation dominantly controlled hydrate stability during the end of the last glaciation offshore mid-Norway. Sedimentation pulses triggered widespread gas hydrate dissociation and explains the formation of ubiquitous blowout pipes in water depths of 600 to 800 m. Maximum gas hydrate dissociation correlates spatially and temporally with the formation or reactivation of pockmarks, which is constrained by radiocarbon dating of Isorropodon nyeggaensis bivalve shells. Our results highlight that rapid changes of sedimentation can have a strong impact on gas hydrate systems affecting fluid flow and gas seepage activity, slope stability and the carbon cycle.

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