The USGS Gas Hydrates Project has been making contributions to advance understanding of US and international gas hydrates science for at least three decades. The research group working on gas hydrates at the USGS is among the largest in the US and has expertise in all the major geoscience disciplines, as well as in the physics and chemistry of gas hydrates, the geotechnical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments, and the biogeochemistry of marine and permafrost gas hydrate systems. The group includes field-based scientists, numerical modelers, laboratory scientists, and supporting technical personnel for marine, permafrost, and laboratory operations. Much of the research is carried out in collaboration with other federal agencies (especially the U.S. Department of Energy) or academic partners, and there are frequently opportunities to collaborate on international programs that jointly serve the Project's mission and the goals of the international partners.

Biogeochemistry Lab

A scientist working on a computer among laboratory equipment

The Gas Hydrates Biogeochemistry Laboratory includes all instrumentation used by the USGS Gas Hydrates Project on site at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. This instrumentation is physically distributed among several laboratory spaces.

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HyPrCAL Lab

long shot of scientific laboratory with equipment on the floor, walls, and shelving

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project manages the standalone Hydrate Pressure Core Analysis Laboratory (HyPrCAL) at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) to study hydrate-bearing sediments in support of energy resources and geohazards research.

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Gas Hydrates Research

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas.

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas. The primary goals are:

Evaluate methane hydrates as a potential energy source
Investigate the interaction between methane hydrate destabilization and climate change at short and long time scales
Study the spatial and temporal connections between submarine slope failures and gas hydrate dynamics

map of the united states highlighting gas hydrate project locations — The USGS Gas Hydrates Project integrates across USGS mission areas, programs, regions, and centers. The circles indicate the locations of scientists involved in the Gas Hydrates Project. Within the US, much of the research focuses on the Gulf of America and Alaska, which represent deepwater marine and permafrost-associated settings for gas hydrates, respectively.

The Gas Hydrate Project conducts multidisciplinary field studies, participates in national and international deep drilling expeditions, and maintains several laboratories focused on hydrate-bearing sediments.

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project analyzes the sediments that make up gas hydrate reservoirs in the Physical Properties Laboratory and manages the standalone Hydrate Pressure Core Analysis Laboratory (HyPrCAL) at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) to study hydrate-bearing sediments in support of energy resources and geohazards research. The Biogeochemistry Laboratory analyzes solid, liquid, and gaseous samples to determine their chemical composition, stable carbon isotopic signatures, and radiocarbon age.

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project analyzes the sediments that make up gas hydrate reservoirs in the Physical Properties Laboratory and manages the standalone Hydrate Pressure Core Analysis Laboratory (HyPrCAL) at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) to study hydrate-bearing sediments in support of energy resources and geohazards research. The Biogeochemistry Laboratory analyzes solid, liquid, and gaseous samples to determine their chemical composition, stable carbon isotopic signatures, and radiocarbon age.

Scientific research associated with the Gas Hydrates Project.

Data Releases associated with the Gas Hydrates Project

Mulitmedia items associated with the Gas Hydrates Project

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Publications associated with the Gas Hydrates Project

U.S. Atlantic Margin Gas Hydrates

Schematic showing the general setting of seeps on the US Atlantic margin and related processes, such as gas hydrate degradation,

The minimum distribution of gas hydrates on the U.S. Atlantic margin is from offshore South Carolina northward to the longitude of Shallop Canyon on the southern New England margin.

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Gas Hydrates on Alaskan Marine Margins

Crumbling blocks of permafrost along the Beaufort Coast

Gas hydrate distributions on the marine margins of the U.S. state of Alaska are more poorly known than those on other U.S. margins, where bottom simulating reflections have been systematically mapped on marine seismic data to support modern, quantitative assessments of gas-in-place in gas hydrates.

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Categorizing active marine acoustic sources based on their potential to affect marine animals

Three dark grey North Atlantic right whales feeding at the water surface in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, USA.

This study describes quantitative factors beyond received sound levels that could be used to assess how marine species are affected by many commonly deployed marine acoustic sources.

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U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project

Gas Hydrates Project Physical Properties Laboratory

Biogeochemistry Laboratory

HyPrCAL Laboratory Site

USGS Scientists Contribute to Gas Hydrates Monograph

Preliminary global database of known and inferred gas hydrate location

Marine Geophysical Data Collected to Support Methane Seep Research