Response of Gas hydrates and Permafrost to Changes in Climate and Sea Level

天然气水合物和永久冻土对气候和海平面变化的响应

• 批准号: 9123374
• 负责人: Joan Gosink
• 金额: $ 4万
• 依托单位: Colorado School of Mines
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1992
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1992-06-01 至 1994-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9123374&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Response; Gas; hydrates; Permafrost; Changes

Methane gas hydrates may occur wherever methane and water exist in close proximity at low temperatures and elevated pressures. These hydrates are thought to be widespread in both on-shore permafrost regions of the North American and Soviet Arctic and in the shallow continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean where sub-sea permafrost is found. Methane gas may be released to the atmosphere because of hydrate destabilization as a result of climatic warming and changes in sea level. With present knowledge, it is not possible to predict the timing or the amount of methane that would be released by gas hydrate decomposition as a result of permafrost, especially sub-sea permafrost, degradation during interglacial periods. We proposed to modify a two-dimensional model of climate-permafrost interaction. The model will be applied to several sites in North America and in the Soviet Union to elevate the potential for gas hydrate and permafrost occurrence and degradation in response to changes in climate and sea level. This information will be used (in collaboration with USGS and Soviet investigators) to make improved estimates of the possible fluxes of methane onto the atmosphere as a result of hydrate and permafrost degradation.

甲烷气水合物可能会发生在甲烷和水在低温和压力升高时近距离存在的地方。 这些水合物被认为在北美和苏联北极的近岸多年冻土区域以及在发现北极海洋的浅陆货架上都广泛存在。 由于气候变暖和海平面变化，甲烷气体可能会释放到大气中。 有了当前的知识，由于多年冻土，尤其是多年冻土，在冰川间期间降解，因此无法预测气体水合分解释放的时间或甲烷量。 我们建议修改气候 - 冻土相互作用的二维模型。 该模型将应用于北美的多个地点和苏联，以提高气体水合物的潜力，并响应气候和海平面的变化，以响应气候变化和降解。 该信息将用于（与USGS和苏联研究人员合作），以改善对甲烷的可能通量估计到大气中的可能性，这是由于水合物和多年冻土降解的结果。