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Carolyn Ruppel, PhD

Carolyn is an emerita ST Research Geophysicist who led the USGS Gas Hydrates Project from 2010 to early 2025. Gas Hydrate scientists in Woods Hole and Denver study the resource and environmental aspects of natural hydrates. Carolyn studies marine methane seeps, the interaction of hydrates with the ocean-atmosphere system, subsea permafrost, hydrate reservoir dynamics, and marine thermal regimes.

USGS Gas Hydrate Project

Methane hydrate

A Geonarrative based on USGS Fact Sheet 2017-3079

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Research

Highlighted Journal Articles, Data Releases, and Geonarratives

HyPrCAL Laboratory

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. 

Explore HyPrCAL site

My primary research focus is on the interaction between methane hydrates (and methane seeps) on one hand and the ocean-atmosphere system on the other. I focus particularly on the US marine margins, especially the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic (Beaufort) margins. I also work on energy issues related to gas hydrates (including delineating their distribution in marine sediments; e.g., the 2018 MATRIX seismic program on US Atlantic margin), the coexistence of permafrost (including subsea) and hydrates (Beaufort Sea), and reservoir properties of hydrate-bearing sediments.  As a side specialty, I assist with programmatic environmental compliance for USGS marine acoustics surveys.  I have served at least part-time in a senior advisory capacity in the USGS Chief Scientist's Office since mid-2022.  During my career, I have also worked on marine heat flow data acquisition and analysis, other aspects of the hydrogeology of gas hydrate systems, and coastal zone hydrogeophysics (particularly tidal pumping, inductive EM data, and saline intrusion in surficial aquifers).  My earliest work focused on numerical modeling of large scale tectonic processes and associated particle tracking, continental rifting, and marine analogs for continental tectonic processes. 

Professional Experience

  • March 2025, Emerita ST scientist

  • January 2025 (temporary detail), Acting Chief Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey

  • November 2024, ST-rank Research Geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey

  • Feb 2023 - March 2025: Part-Time Acting Senior Science Advisor to the USGS Chief Scientist

  • July 2022 - Feb 2023:  Acting Senior Science Advisor to the USGS Chief Scientist (detail)

  • 2010-present: Chief, USGS Gas Hydrates Project

  • 2006-2023: Research Geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey

  • 2006-2019: Visiting Scientist, MIT, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences

  • 2003-2006: Program manager (faculty rotater), National Science Foundation, Ocean Sciences (MG&G and Ocean Drilling Program)

  • 2000-2002: Coordinator, Georgia Tech Focused Research Program on Methane Hydrates

  • 2000-2006: Associate Professor (tenured) of Geophysics, Georgia Tech

  • 1994-2000: Assistant Professor of Geophysics, Georgia Tech

  • 1992-1993: Postdoctoral Scholar and Postdoctoral Research, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Education and Certifications

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 1992, Geophysics and Geology (with Marcia McNutt)

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.S., 1986, Earth sciences (with Leigh Royden and Kip Hodges)

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Panel member, National Academy of Sciences, Community on Ocean Acoustics Education and Expertise (study completion in 2024)

  • Member, Science Advisory Board, University of Tromso, Centre of Excellence for Ice, Cryosphere, Carbon and Climate, 2023-

  • Member, Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (UNOLS), 2015-2020 

  • Chief Scientist, 8 research cruises (3 Arctic), 2010-2019

  • Member, Advisory Board, University of Tromso, Centre of Excellence for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) 2014-present

  • Strategic Plan Committee, Coastal & Marine Geology Program, USGS, 2014-2019

  • Arctic subgroup (appointed CMGP representative), Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), OSTP, 2015-16

  • Mentor, Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT), 2013-2016

  • USGS Technical lead, NSF-USGS Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Marine Seismics, 2008-2012

  • Lead organizer, Catching climate change in progress, circum-Arctic Ocean drilling workshop, December 2011 (sponsored by US Science Support Program for IODP)

  • Lead proponent, IODP Pre-Proposal 797, Late Pleistocene to contemporary climate change on the Alaskan Beaufort Margin (ABM)

  • Organizer and convener, USGS-DOE Climate-Hydrates workshop, Boston, MA, March 2011

  • Originator and Chair, Gordon Research Conference on Natural Gas Hydrates, inaugural conference held June 2010.

  • Interagency Technical Coordinating Committee, DOE Methane Hydrates R&D Program, 2010-present

  • The Future of Natural Gas, MIT Energy Initiative, affiliated author (methane hydrates), 2008-2011

  • National Research Council, Scientific Ocean Drilling (SOD) review, presentation on Gas Hydrates and SOD, 2010

  • IODP Operations Task Force, 2008-2009

  • IODP Science Planning Committee (SPC), 2006-2009

  • Organizer, DOE-USGS Symposium/Meeting on Gas Hydrates and Climate Change (held at MIT), February 2008

Honors and Awards

  • Distinguished Served Award, U.S. Department of Interior, 2024

  • National Science Foundation, Director's Award for Program Management, 2005 (Chixulub seismic program)

  • JOI/USSAC Distinguished Lecturer, Ocean Drilling Program, 1999-2000

Science and Products

Photograph of the Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp

IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps

From May 3 to May 11, 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and with support from these two agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the U.S. Department of Energy, will lead an expedition aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp to explore seafloor methane seeps on the northern U.S...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps

IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps

From May 3 to May 11, 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and with support from these two agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the U.S. Department of Energy, will lead an expedition aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp to explore seafloor methane seeps on the northern U.S...
Learn More
Photograph of Methane-derived authigenic carbonate

Gas Hydrates- Atlantic Margin Methane Seeps

Analysis of 94,000 square kilometers of multibeam water column backscatter data collected by the NOAA Okeanos Explorer mostly seaward of the shelf-break on the northern US Atlantic margin reveals more than 570 gas plumes that correspond to seafloor methane seeps. This discovery is documented in an August 2014 Nature Geoscience paper entitled, "Widespread methane leakage from the seafloor on the...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates- Atlantic Margin Methane Seeps

Gas Hydrates- Atlantic Margin Methane Seeps

Analysis of 94,000 square kilometers of multibeam water column backscatter data collected by the NOAA Okeanos Explorer mostly seaward of the shelf-break on the northern US Atlantic margin reveals more than 570 gas plumes that correspond to seafloor methane seeps. This discovery is documented in an August 2014 Nature Geoscience paper entitled, "Widespread methane leakage from the seafloor on the...
Learn More
Image: Bottlenose Dolphin (Turisiops truncatus)

Environmental Compliance

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is the cornerstone of our Nation's environmental laws and was enacted to ensure that information on the environmental impacts of any Federal, or federally funded, action is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made and before actions are taken
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Environmental Compliance

Environmental Compliance

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is the cornerstone of our Nation's environmental laws and was enacted to ensure that information on the environmental impacts of any Federal, or federally funded, action is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made and before actions are taken
Learn More
Area in northern Alaska where subsurface temperature and pressure conditions are conducive to the occurrence of gas hydrates

Gas Hydrates-Environment Interactions

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas.  Breakdown of gas hydrates due to short- or long-term warming may release methane to the ocean-atmosphere system. As a potent greenhouse gas, methane plays a role in climate warming.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates-Environment Interactions

Gas Hydrates-Environment Interactions

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas.  Breakdown of gas hydrates due to short- or long-term warming may release methane to the ocean-atmosphere system. As a potent greenhouse gas, methane plays a role in climate warming.
Learn More
Burning Gas Hydrate

Gas Hydrates- Energy

Natural gas production from methane hydrates may someday prove viable. The USGS Gas Hydrate Project takes part in US and international programs to investigate the potential of deepwater marine and permafrost gas hydrates as an energy resource. Long-term production tests are the next step in this research.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates- Energy

Gas Hydrates- Energy

Natural gas production from methane hydrates may someday prove viable. The USGS Gas Hydrate Project takes part in US and international programs to investigate the potential of deepwater marine and permafrost gas hydrates as an energy resource. Long-term production tests are the next step in this research.
Learn More
Hydrate Molecule

Gas Hydrates - Primer

What is Gas Hydrate? Gas hydrate is an ice-like crystalline form of water and low molecular weight gas (e.g., methane, ethane, carbon dioxide). On Earth, gas hydrates occur naturally in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost. Gas hydrates have also been inferred on other planets or their moons.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates - Primer

Gas Hydrates - Primer

What is Gas Hydrate? Gas hydrate is an ice-like crystalline form of water and low molecular weight gas (e.g., methane, ethane, carbon dioxide). On Earth, gas hydrates occur naturally in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost. Gas hydrates have also been inferred on other planets or their moons.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 13

Marine Geophysical Data Collected to Support Methane Seep Research Along the U.S. Atlantic Continental Shelf Break and Upper Continental Slope Between the Baltimore and Keller Canyons During U.S. Geological Survey Field Activities 2017-001-FA and 2017-002 Marine Geophysical Data Collected to Support Methane Seep Research Along the U.S. Atlantic Continental Shelf Break and Upper Continental Slope Between the Baltimore and Keller Canyons During U.S. Geological Survey Field Activities 2017-001-FA and 2017-002

In spring and summer 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey's Gas Hydrates Project conducted two cruises aboard the research vessel Hugh R. Sharp to explore the geology, chemistry, ecology, physics, and oceanography of sea-floor methane seeps and water column gas plumes on the northern U.S. Atlantic margin between the Baltimore and Keller Canyons. Split-beam and multibeam echo sounders and a...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Thermal Data and Navigation for T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island Arctic Ocean Heat Flow Studies, 1963-73 (ver. 1.1 December 2022) Thermal Data and Navigation for T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island Arctic Ocean Heat Flow Studies, 1963-73 (ver. 1.1 December 2022)

The T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island in the Arctic Ocean was the site of a scientific research station re-established by the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory starting in 1962. Starting in 1963, the USGS acquired marine heat flow data and coincident sediment cores at sites in Canada Basin, Nautilus Basin, Mendeleev Ridge, and Alpha Ridge as the ice island drifted in the Amerasian Basin. At...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Post-expedition report for USGS T-3 Ice Island heat flow measurements in the High Arctic Ocean, 1963-1973 Post-expedition report for USGS T-3 Ice Island heat flow measurements in the High Arctic Ocean, 1963-1973

In February 1963, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a study of heat flow in the Arctic Ocean Basin and acquired data at 356 sites in Canada Basin and Nautilus Basin and on Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge by the end of the project in 1973. The USGS heat flow and associated piston coring operations were conducted from a scientific station on the freely drifting T-3 Ice island (also known as...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Stable isotopic insights into Bathymodiolus childressi at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin, data release Stable isotopic insights into Bathymodiolus childressi at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin, data release

Chemosynthetic environments support distinct benthic communities capable of utilizing reduced chemical compounds for nutrition. Hundreds of methane seeps have been documented along the U.S. Atlantic margin (USAM), and detailed investigations at a few seeps have revealed distinct environments containing mussels, microbial mats, authigenic carbonates, and soft sediments. The dominant...
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Geochemical analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at Atlantic Margin seeps Geochemical analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at Atlantic Margin seeps

Isotopic analyses of authigenic carbonates and methanotrophic deep-sea mussels, Bathymodiolus sp., was performed on samples collected from seep fields in the Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons on the north Atlantic margin. Samples were collected using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) during three different research cruises in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Analyses were performed by...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Minimal offshore extent of ice-bearing (subsea) permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Sea margin Minimal offshore extent of ice-bearing (subsea) permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Sea margin

The present-day distribution of subsea permafrost beneath high-latitude continental shelves has implications for sea level rise and climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago). Because permafrost can be spatially associated with gas hydrate (which may be thermodynamically stable within the several hundred meters above and below the base of permafrost), the...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Filter Total Items: 69

U.S. Atlantic margin gas hydrates U.S. Atlantic margin gas hydrates

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. Few wells have logged or sampled the gas hydrate zone on this margin, meaning that the presence of gas hydrates is inferred primarily based on seismic data that reveal bottom simulating reflections, mostly at...
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel, William Shedd, Nathaniel C. Miller, Jared W. Kluesner, Matthew Frye, Deborah Hutchinson
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Gas hydrates on Alaskan marine margins Gas hydrates on Alaskan marine margins

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. The extent of bottom simulating reflections in the U.S. Beaufort Sea has been known since...
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel, Patrick E. Hart
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

Elevated levels of radiocarbon in methane dissolved in seawater reveal likely local contamination from nuclear powered vessels Elevated levels of radiocarbon in methane dissolved in seawater reveal likely local contamination from nuclear powered vessels

Measurements of the natural radiocarbon content of methane (14C-CH4) dissolved in seawater and freshwater have been used to investigate sources and dynamics of methane. However, during investigations along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean Margins of the United States, as well as in the North American Great Lakes, some samples revealed highly elevated 14C-CH4 values, as much as 4–5...
Authors
D.J. Joung, Carolyn D. Ruppel, J. Southon, John D. Kessler
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hydrate formation on marine seep bubbles and the implications for water column methane dissolution Hydrate formation on marine seep bubbles and the implications for water column methane dissolution

Methane released from seafloor seeps contributes to a number of benthic, water column, and atmospheric processes. At seafloor seeps within the methane hydrate stability zone, crystalline gas hydrate shells can form on methane bubbles while the bubbles are still in contact with the seafloor or as the bubbles begin ascending through the water column. These shells reduce methane dissolution...
Authors
Xiaojing Fu, William F. Waite, Carolyn D. Ruppel
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Estimating the impact of seep methane oxidation on ocean pH and dissolved inorganic radiocarbon along the U.S. mid‐Atlantic Bight Estimating the impact of seep methane oxidation on ocean pH and dissolved inorganic radiocarbon along the U.S. mid‐Atlantic Bight

Ongoing ocean warming can release methane (CH4) currently stored in ocean sediments as free gas and gas hydrates. Once dissolved in ocean waters, this CH4 can be oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO2). While it has been hypothesized that the CO2 produced from aerobic CH4 oxidation could enhance ocean acidification, a previous study conducted in Hudson Canyon shows that CH4 oxidation has a...
Authors
Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Mihai Leonte, Carolyn D. Ruppel, Angel Ruiz-Angulo, DoongJoo Joung, Benjamin Young, John D. Kessler
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Gas hydrates in sustainable chemistry Gas hydrates in sustainable chemistry

Gas hydrates have received considerable attention due to their important role in flow assurance for the oil and gas industry, their extensive natural occurrence on Earth and extraterrestrial planets, and their significant applications in sustainable technologies including but not limited to gas and energy storage, gas separation, and water desalination. Given not only their inherent...
Authors
Aliakbar Hassanpouryouzband, Edris Joonaki, Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahania, Satoshi Takeya, Carolyn D. Ruppel, Jinhai Yang, Neill English, Judith Schicks, Katriona Edlmann, Hadi Mehrabian, Bahman Tohidi
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Tréhu, A.M., C. Ruppel, M. Holland, G.R. Dickens, M.E. Torres, T.S. Collett, D. Goldberg, M. Riedel, and P. Schultheiss. 2006. Gas hydrates in marine sediments: Lessons from scientific ocean drilling. Oceanography 19(4):124–142, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2006.11.
Nimblett, J. and C. Ruppel, 2003, Permeability evolution during formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 2420, doi: 10.1029/2001JB001650.
Ruppel, C., Thermal state of the gas hydrate reservoir, 2000, in: Max, M. editor, Natural Gas Hydrate in Oceanic and Permafrost Environments, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 29-42, 2000. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4387-5_4
Nimblett, J. and C. Ruppel, 2003, Permeability evolution during formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 2420, doi: 10.1029/2001JB001650.
Ruppel, C., 1997, Anomalously cold temperatures observed at the base of the gas hydrate stability zone, U.S. Atlantic passive margin, Geology, 25, 699-702. Doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0699:ACTOAT>2.3.CO;2
Wood, W.T., and Ruppel, C., 2000. Seismic and thermal investigations of the Blake Ridge gas hydrate area: a synthesis. In Paull, C.K., Matsumoto, R., Wallace, P.J., and Dillon, W.P. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 164: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program), 253–264. doi:10.2973/odp.proc.sr.164.203.2000
Xu, W. and C. Ruppel, 1999, Predicting the occurrence, distribution, and evolution of methane gas hydrate in porous marine sediments from analytical models, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, ,5081-5096. 10.1029/1998JB900092
Paull, C.K., Matsumoto, R., Wallace, P.J., et al., 1996. Proc. ODP, Init. Repts., 164: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program). doi:10.2973/odp.proc.ir.164.1996
Ruppel, C., R.P. Von Herzen, and A. Bonneville, 1995, Heat flux through an old (~175 Ma) passive margin: offshore southeastern USA, Journal of Geophysical Research, 100,20,037-20,058. Doi: 10.1029/95JB01860
Santamarina, J.C. and C. Ruppel, 2010, The impact of hydrate saturation on the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of hydrate-bearing sand, silts, and clay (Chapter 26), In: Riedel, Willoughby, Chopra (eds), Geophysical Characterization of Gas Hydrates, Society of Exploration Geophysicists Geophysical Developments, vol. 14, 373-384
Trehu, A.M., C. Ruppel, J. Dickens, D. Goldberg, M. Holland, M. Riedel, P. Schultheiss, and M. Torres, 2006, Gas hydrates in marine sediments: lessons from ocean drilling, Oceanography, 19, 124-143, 2006.
Yun, T.S., G. Narsilio, J.C. Santamarina, and C. Ruppel, 2006, Instrumented pressure testing chamber for characterizing sediment cores recovered at in situ hydrostatic pressure, Marine Geology, 229, 285-293. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2006.03.012.
Yun, T.S., F. Francisca, J.C. Santamarina, and C. Ruppel, 2005, Compressional and shear wave velocities of uncemented sediment containing gas hydrate, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, L10609. doi: 10.1029/2005GL022607.
Nimblett, J. and C. Ruppel, 2003, Permeability evolution during formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 2420, doi: 10.1029/2001JB001650.
Waite, W.F, deMartin, B.J, Kirby, S.H., Pinkston, J., Ruppel, C.D., 2002, Thermal conductivity measurements in porous mixtures of methane hydrate and quartz sand, Geophysical Research Letters. doi: 10.1029/2002GL015988
Ruppel C. (2000) Thermal State of the Gas Hydrate Reservoir. In: Max M.D. (eds) Natural Gas Hydrate. Coastal Systems and Continental Margins, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4387-5_4
Xu, W. and C. Ruppel, 1999, Predicting the occurrence, distribution, and evolution of methane gas hydrate in porous marine sediments from analytical models, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, ,5081-5096

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Map of composite results from Alaska marine margin monograph chapter

USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

The recently-published monograph entitled World Atlas of Submarine Gas Hydrates on Continental Margins compiles findings about gas hydrates offshore all of Earth’s continents and also onshore in selected permafrost regions.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Energy Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Filter Total Items: 19
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program Decadal Science Strategy Published

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program Decadal Science Strategy Published

This geonarrative constitutes the Decadal Science Strategy of the USGS's Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program for 2020 to 2030.

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Arctic Ocean Historical Data Rescue

Arctic Ocean Historical Data Rescue

Measurements collected on Fletcher's Ice Island,  a scientific drift station in the western Arctic Ocean, half a century ago were published for the...

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Ten Years of Icy Data Show the Flow of Heat from the Arctic Seafloor

Ten Years of Icy Data Show the Flow of Heat from the Arctic Seafloor

In addition to 10 years of data on the flow of heat in the Arctic ocean seafloor, the USGS and Geological Survey of Canada have published an analysis...

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The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates is one of the Reviews of Geophysics' top rated articles!

The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates is one of the Reviews of Geophysics' top rated articles!

According to Reviews of Geophysics this work received some of the highest count of citations amongst articles published between January 2017 and...

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USGS Images Gas Hydrates with 2,000 Kilometers of New Seismic Data on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Margin

USGS Images Gas Hydrates with 2,000 Kilometers of New Seismic Data on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Margin

In August 2018, the USGS Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) completed the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX), a three...

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Seismic Research Cruise Provides New Data on U.S. Atlantic Margin Gas Hydrates

Seismic Research Cruise Provides New Data on U.S. Atlantic Margin Gas Hydrates

Data acquired by the U.S. Geological Survey on the U.S. Atlantic Margin in August 2018 reveal new information about the distribution of gas hydrates...

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Science and Products

Photograph of the Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp

IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps

From May 3 to May 11, 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and with support from these two agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the U.S. Department of Energy, will lead an expedition aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp to explore seafloor methane seeps on the northern U.S...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps

IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps

From May 3 to May 11, 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and with support from these two agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the U.S. Department of Energy, will lead an expedition aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp to explore seafloor methane seeps on the northern U.S...
Learn More
Photograph of Methane-derived authigenic carbonate

Gas Hydrates- Atlantic Margin Methane Seeps

Analysis of 94,000 square kilometers of multibeam water column backscatter data collected by the NOAA Okeanos Explorer mostly seaward of the shelf-break on the northern US Atlantic margin reveals more than 570 gas plumes that correspond to seafloor methane seeps. This discovery is documented in an August 2014 Nature Geoscience paper entitled, "Widespread methane leakage from the seafloor on the...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates- Atlantic Margin Methane Seeps

Gas Hydrates- Atlantic Margin Methane Seeps

Analysis of 94,000 square kilometers of multibeam water column backscatter data collected by the NOAA Okeanos Explorer mostly seaward of the shelf-break on the northern US Atlantic margin reveals more than 570 gas plumes that correspond to seafloor methane seeps. This discovery is documented in an August 2014 Nature Geoscience paper entitled, "Widespread methane leakage from the seafloor on the...
Learn More
Image: Bottlenose Dolphin (Turisiops truncatus)

Environmental Compliance

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is the cornerstone of our Nation's environmental laws and was enacted to ensure that information on the environmental impacts of any Federal, or federally funded, action is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made and before actions are taken
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Environmental Compliance

Environmental Compliance

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is the cornerstone of our Nation's environmental laws and was enacted to ensure that information on the environmental impacts of any Federal, or federally funded, action is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made and before actions are taken
Learn More
Area in northern Alaska where subsurface temperature and pressure conditions are conducive to the occurrence of gas hydrates

Gas Hydrates-Environment Interactions

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas.  Breakdown of gas hydrates due to short- or long-term warming may release methane to the ocean-atmosphere system. As a potent greenhouse gas, methane plays a role in climate warming.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates-Environment Interactions

Gas Hydrates-Environment Interactions

The USGS Gas Hydrates Project focuses on the study of natural gas hydrates in deepwater marine systems and permafrost areas.  Breakdown of gas hydrates due to short- or long-term warming may release methane to the ocean-atmosphere system. As a potent greenhouse gas, methane plays a role in climate warming.
Learn More
Burning Gas Hydrate

Gas Hydrates- Energy

Natural gas production from methane hydrates may someday prove viable. The USGS Gas Hydrate Project takes part in US and international programs to investigate the potential of deepwater marine and permafrost gas hydrates as an energy resource. Long-term production tests are the next step in this research.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates- Energy

Gas Hydrates- Energy

Natural gas production from methane hydrates may someday prove viable. The USGS Gas Hydrate Project takes part in US and international programs to investigate the potential of deepwater marine and permafrost gas hydrates as an energy resource. Long-term production tests are the next step in this research.
Learn More
Hydrate Molecule

Gas Hydrates - Primer

What is Gas Hydrate? Gas hydrate is an ice-like crystalline form of water and low molecular weight gas (e.g., methane, ethane, carbon dioxide). On Earth, gas hydrates occur naturally in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost. Gas hydrates have also been inferred on other planets or their moons.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Gas Hydrates - Primer

Gas Hydrates - Primer

What is Gas Hydrate? Gas hydrate is an ice-like crystalline form of water and low molecular weight gas (e.g., methane, ethane, carbon dioxide). On Earth, gas hydrates occur naturally in some marine sediments and within and beneath permafrost. Gas hydrates have also been inferred on other planets or their moons.
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Marine Geophysical Data Collected to Support Methane Seep Research Along the U.S. Atlantic Continental Shelf Break and Upper Continental Slope Between the Baltimore and Keller Canyons During U.S. Geological Survey Field Activities 2017-001-FA and 2017-002 Marine Geophysical Data Collected to Support Methane Seep Research Along the U.S. Atlantic Continental Shelf Break and Upper Continental Slope Between the Baltimore and Keller Canyons During U.S. Geological Survey Field Activities 2017-001-FA and 2017-002

In spring and summer 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey's Gas Hydrates Project conducted two cruises aboard the research vessel Hugh R. Sharp to explore the geology, chemistry, ecology, physics, and oceanography of sea-floor methane seeps and water column gas plumes on the northern U.S. Atlantic margin between the Baltimore and Keller Canyons. Split-beam and multibeam echo sounders and a...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Thermal Data and Navigation for T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island Arctic Ocean Heat Flow Studies, 1963-73 (ver. 1.1 December 2022) Thermal Data and Navigation for T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island Arctic Ocean Heat Flow Studies, 1963-73 (ver. 1.1 December 2022)

The T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island in the Arctic Ocean was the site of a scientific research station re-established by the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory starting in 1962. Starting in 1963, the USGS acquired marine heat flow data and coincident sediment cores at sites in Canada Basin, Nautilus Basin, Mendeleev Ridge, and Alpha Ridge as the ice island drifted in the Amerasian Basin. At...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Post-expedition report for USGS T-3 Ice Island heat flow measurements in the High Arctic Ocean, 1963-1973 Post-expedition report for USGS T-3 Ice Island heat flow measurements in the High Arctic Ocean, 1963-1973

In February 1963, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a study of heat flow in the Arctic Ocean Basin and acquired data at 356 sites in Canada Basin and Nautilus Basin and on Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge by the end of the project in 1973. The USGS heat flow and associated piston coring operations were conducted from a scientific station on the freely drifting T-3 Ice island (also known as...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Stable isotopic insights into Bathymodiolus childressi at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin, data release Stable isotopic insights into Bathymodiolus childressi at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin, data release

Chemosynthetic environments support distinct benthic communities capable of utilizing reduced chemical compounds for nutrition. Hundreds of methane seeps have been documented along the U.S. Atlantic margin (USAM), and detailed investigations at a few seeps have revealed distinct environments containing mussels, microbial mats, authigenic carbonates, and soft sediments. The dominant...
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Geochemical analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at Atlantic Margin seeps Geochemical analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at Atlantic Margin seeps

Isotopic analyses of authigenic carbonates and methanotrophic deep-sea mussels, Bathymodiolus sp., was performed on samples collected from seep fields in the Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons on the north Atlantic margin. Samples were collected using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) during three different research cruises in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Analyses were performed by...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Minimal offshore extent of ice-bearing (subsea) permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Sea margin Minimal offshore extent of ice-bearing (subsea) permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Sea margin

The present-day distribution of subsea permafrost beneath high-latitude continental shelves has implications for sea level rise and climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago). Because permafrost can be spatially associated with gas hydrate (which may be thermodynamically stable within the several hundred meters above and below the base of permafrost), the...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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U.S. Atlantic margin gas hydrates U.S. Atlantic margin gas hydrates

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. Few wells have logged or sampled the gas hydrate zone on this margin, meaning that the presence of gas hydrates is inferred primarily based on seismic data that reveal bottom simulating reflections, mostly at...
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel, William Shedd, Nathaniel C. Miller, Jared W. Kluesner, Matthew Frye, Deborah Hutchinson
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Gas hydrates on Alaskan marine margins Gas hydrates on Alaskan marine margins

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. The extent of bottom simulating reflections in the U.S. Beaufort Sea has been known since...
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel, Patrick E. Hart
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

Elevated levels of radiocarbon in methane dissolved in seawater reveal likely local contamination from nuclear powered vessels Elevated levels of radiocarbon in methane dissolved in seawater reveal likely local contamination from nuclear powered vessels

Measurements of the natural radiocarbon content of methane (14C-CH4) dissolved in seawater and freshwater have been used to investigate sources and dynamics of methane. However, during investigations along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean Margins of the United States, as well as in the North American Great Lakes, some samples revealed highly elevated 14C-CH4 values, as much as 4–5...
Authors
D.J. Joung, Carolyn D. Ruppel, J. Southon, John D. Kessler
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hydrate formation on marine seep bubbles and the implications for water column methane dissolution Hydrate formation on marine seep bubbles and the implications for water column methane dissolution

Methane released from seafloor seeps contributes to a number of benthic, water column, and atmospheric processes. At seafloor seeps within the methane hydrate stability zone, crystalline gas hydrate shells can form on methane bubbles while the bubbles are still in contact with the seafloor or as the bubbles begin ascending through the water column. These shells reduce methane dissolution...
Authors
Xiaojing Fu, William F. Waite, Carolyn D. Ruppel
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Estimating the impact of seep methane oxidation on ocean pH and dissolved inorganic radiocarbon along the U.S. mid‐Atlantic Bight Estimating the impact of seep methane oxidation on ocean pH and dissolved inorganic radiocarbon along the U.S. mid‐Atlantic Bight

Ongoing ocean warming can release methane (CH4) currently stored in ocean sediments as free gas and gas hydrates. Once dissolved in ocean waters, this CH4 can be oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO2). While it has been hypothesized that the CO2 produced from aerobic CH4 oxidation could enhance ocean acidification, a previous study conducted in Hudson Canyon shows that CH4 oxidation has a...
Authors
Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Mihai Leonte, Carolyn D. Ruppel, Angel Ruiz-Angulo, DoongJoo Joung, Benjamin Young, John D. Kessler
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Gas hydrates in sustainable chemistry Gas hydrates in sustainable chemistry

Gas hydrates have received considerable attention due to their important role in flow assurance for the oil and gas industry, their extensive natural occurrence on Earth and extraterrestrial planets, and their significant applications in sustainable technologies including but not limited to gas and energy storage, gas separation, and water desalination. Given not only their inherent...
Authors
Aliakbar Hassanpouryouzband, Edris Joonaki, Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahania, Satoshi Takeya, Carolyn D. Ruppel, Jinhai Yang, Neill English, Judith Schicks, Katriona Edlmann, Hadi Mehrabian, Bahman Tohidi
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Tréhu, A.M., C. Ruppel, M. Holland, G.R. Dickens, M.E. Torres, T.S. Collett, D. Goldberg, M. Riedel, and P. Schultheiss. 2006. Gas hydrates in marine sediments: Lessons from scientific ocean drilling. Oceanography 19(4):124–142, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2006.11.
Nimblett, J. and C. Ruppel, 2003, Permeability evolution during formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 2420, doi: 10.1029/2001JB001650.
Ruppel, C., Thermal state of the gas hydrate reservoir, 2000, in: Max, M. editor, Natural Gas Hydrate in Oceanic and Permafrost Environments, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 29-42, 2000. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4387-5_4
Nimblett, J. and C. Ruppel, 2003, Permeability evolution during formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 2420, doi: 10.1029/2001JB001650.
Ruppel, C., 1997, Anomalously cold temperatures observed at the base of the gas hydrate stability zone, U.S. Atlantic passive margin, Geology, 25, 699-702. Doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0699:ACTOAT>2.3.CO;2
Wood, W.T., and Ruppel, C., 2000. Seismic and thermal investigations of the Blake Ridge gas hydrate area: a synthesis. In Paull, C.K., Matsumoto, R., Wallace, P.J., and Dillon, W.P. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 164: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program), 253–264. doi:10.2973/odp.proc.sr.164.203.2000
Xu, W. and C. Ruppel, 1999, Predicting the occurrence, distribution, and evolution of methane gas hydrate in porous marine sediments from analytical models, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, ,5081-5096. 10.1029/1998JB900092
Paull, C.K., Matsumoto, R., Wallace, P.J., et al., 1996. Proc. ODP, Init. Repts., 164: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program). doi:10.2973/odp.proc.ir.164.1996
Ruppel, C., R.P. Von Herzen, and A. Bonneville, 1995, Heat flux through an old (~175 Ma) passive margin: offshore southeastern USA, Journal of Geophysical Research, 100,20,037-20,058. Doi: 10.1029/95JB01860
Santamarina, J.C. and C. Ruppel, 2010, The impact of hydrate saturation on the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of hydrate-bearing sand, silts, and clay (Chapter 26), In: Riedel, Willoughby, Chopra (eds), Geophysical Characterization of Gas Hydrates, Society of Exploration Geophysicists Geophysical Developments, vol. 14, 373-384
Trehu, A.M., C. Ruppel, J. Dickens, D. Goldberg, M. Holland, M. Riedel, P. Schultheiss, and M. Torres, 2006, Gas hydrates in marine sediments: lessons from ocean drilling, Oceanography, 19, 124-143, 2006.
Yun, T.S., G. Narsilio, J.C. Santamarina, and C. Ruppel, 2006, Instrumented pressure testing chamber for characterizing sediment cores recovered at in situ hydrostatic pressure, Marine Geology, 229, 285-293. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2006.03.012.
Yun, T.S., F. Francisca, J.C. Santamarina, and C. Ruppel, 2005, Compressional and shear wave velocities of uncemented sediment containing gas hydrate, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, L10609. doi: 10.1029/2005GL022607.
Nimblett, J. and C. Ruppel, 2003, Permeability evolution during formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 2420, doi: 10.1029/2001JB001650.
Waite, W.F, deMartin, B.J, Kirby, S.H., Pinkston, J., Ruppel, C.D., 2002, Thermal conductivity measurements in porous mixtures of methane hydrate and quartz sand, Geophysical Research Letters. doi: 10.1029/2002GL015988
Ruppel C. (2000) Thermal State of the Gas Hydrate Reservoir. In: Max M.D. (eds) Natural Gas Hydrate. Coastal Systems and Continental Margins, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4387-5_4
Xu, W. and C. Ruppel, 1999, Predicting the occurrence, distribution, and evolution of methane gas hydrate in porous marine sediments from analytical models, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, ,5081-5096

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Map of composite results from Alaska marine margin monograph chapter

USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph USGS scientists contribute to new gas hydrates monograph

The recently-published monograph entitled World Atlas of Submarine Gas Hydrates on Continental Margins compiles findings about gas hydrates offshore all of Earth’s continents and also onshore in selected permafrost regions.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Energy Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program Decadal Science Strategy Published

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program Decadal Science Strategy Published

This geonarrative constitutes the Decadal Science Strategy of the USGS's Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program for 2020 to 2030.

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Arctic Ocean Historical Data Rescue

Arctic Ocean Historical Data Rescue

Measurements collected on Fletcher's Ice Island,  a scientific drift station in the western Arctic Ocean, half a century ago were published for the...

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Ten Years of Icy Data Show the Flow of Heat from the Arctic Seafloor

Ten Years of Icy Data Show the Flow of Heat from the Arctic Seafloor

In addition to 10 years of data on the flow of heat in the Arctic ocean seafloor, the USGS and Geological Survey of Canada have published an analysis...

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The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates is one of the Reviews of Geophysics' top rated articles!

The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates is one of the Reviews of Geophysics' top rated articles!

According to Reviews of Geophysics this work received some of the highest count of citations amongst articles published between January 2017 and...

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USGS Images Gas Hydrates with 2,000 Kilometers of New Seismic Data on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Margin

USGS Images Gas Hydrates with 2,000 Kilometers of New Seismic Data on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Margin

In August 2018, the USGS Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) completed the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX), a three...

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Seismic Research Cruise Provides New Data on U.S. Atlantic Margin Gas Hydrates

Seismic Research Cruise Provides New Data on U.S. Atlantic Margin Gas Hydrates

Data acquired by the U.S. Geological Survey on the U.S. Atlantic Margin in August 2018 reveal new information about the distribution of gas hydrates...

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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

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