Carolyn Ruppel, PhD
I lead the USGS Gas Hydrates Project, which is jointly funded by the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program and the Energy Resources Program. Project scientists in Woods Hole and Denver study the resource and climate aspects of natural hydrates. My work also focuses on methane seeps, hydroacoustics, marine environmental compliance, and subsea permafrost on the Arctic coast.
Research
Highlighted Journal Articles, Data Releases, and Geonarratives
- Gas Hydrate in Nature
- Hydrate formation on marine seep bubbles and the implications for water column…
- Elevated levels of radiocarbon in methane dissolved in seawater reveal likely l…
- Preliminary global database of known and inferred gas hydrate locations
- Post-expedition report for USGS T-3 ice island heat flow measurements in the Hi…
- Thermal Data and Navigation for T-3 (Fletcher's) Ice Island Arctic Ocean Heat F…
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 Atlantic and US Pacific margins, as well as Arctic Ocean margins (US Beaufort Sea and Svalbard). I also work on energy issues related to gas hydrates (including delineating their distribution in marine sediments; 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. 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
July 2023 - present: Supervisory Research Geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey
Feb 2023 - present: 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
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
Introduction to special issue on gas hydrate in porous media: Linking laboratory and field‐scale phenomena
Heat flow in the Western Arctic Ocean (Amerasian Basin)
Submarine permafrost map in the arctic modelled using 1D transient heat flux (SuPerMAP)
Multi-measurement approach for establishing the base of gas hydrate occurrence in the Krishna-Godavari Basin for sites cored during Expedition NGHP-02 in the offshore of India
Limited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gas Hydrates Project
Gas hydrate in nature
Enhanced CO2 uptake at a shallow Arctic Ocean seep field overwhelms the positive warming potential of emitted methane
The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates
Volume change associated with formation and dissociation of hydrate in sediment
Subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Margin: 1. Minimum seaward extent defined from multichannel seismic reflection data
Subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Margin: 2. Borehole constraints
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
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.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 64
Introduction to special issue on gas hydrate in porous media: Linking laboratory and field‐scale phenomena
The proliferation of drilling expeditions focused on characterizing natural gas hydrate as a potential energy resource has spawned widespread interest in gas hydrate reservoir properties and associated porous media phenomena. Between 2017 and 2019, a Special Section of this journal compiled contributed papers elucidating interactions between gas hydrate and sediment based on laboratory, numericalAuthorsCarolyn D. Ruppel, Joo Yong Lee, Ingo PecherHeat flow in the Western Arctic Ocean (Amerasian Basin)
From 1963 to 1973 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured heat flow at 356 sites in the Amerasian Basin (Western Arctic Ocean) from a drifting ice island (T-3). The resulting measurements, which are unevenly distributed on Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge (AMR) and in Canada and Nautilus basins, greatly expand available heat flow data for the Arctic Ocean. Average T-3 heat flow is ~54.7 ± 11.3 mW m-2, andAuthorsCarolyn D. Ruppel, A.H. Lachenbruch, Deborah Hutchinson, Robert Munroe, David MosherSubmarine permafrost map in the arctic modelled using 1D transient heat flux (SuPerMAP)
Offshore permafrost plays a role in the global climate system, but observations of permafrost thickness, state, and composition are limited to specific regions. The current global permafrost map shows potential offshore permafrost distribution based on bathymetry and global sea level rise. As a first‐order estimate, we employ a heat transfer model to calculate the subsurface temperature field. OurAuthorsP.P. Overduin, T. Schneider, F. Miesner, M.N. Grigoriev, Carolyn D. Ruppel, A. Vasiliev, H. Lantuit, B. Juhls, S. WestermannMulti-measurement approach for establishing the base of gas hydrate occurrence in the Krishna-Godavari Basin for sites cored during Expedition NGHP-02 in the offshore of India
The 2015 National Gas Hydrate Program of India's second expedition, NGHP-02, acquired logging and coring datasets for constraining the base of the gas hydrate occurrence zone (deepest GH) and the theoretical base of gas hydrate stability zone (BGHS). These data are used here for two primary goals: to constrain the deepest occurrence of gas hydrate relative to predicted stability limits and the obsAuthorsWilliam F. Waite, Carolyn D. Ruppel, Timothy S. Collett, P. Schultheiss, M. Holland, K.M. Shukla, P. KumarLimited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf
In response to warming climate, methane can be released to Arctic Ocean sediment and waters from thawing subsea permafrost and decomposing methane hydrates. However, it is unknown whether methane derived from this sediment storehouse of frozen ancient carbon reaches the atmosphere. We quantified the fraction of methane derived from ancient sources in shelf waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea, a regionAuthorsKaty J. Sparrow, John D. Kessler, John R. Southon, Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Kathryn M. Schreiner, Carolyn D. Ruppel, John B. Miller, Scott J. Lehman, Xiaomei XuThe U.S. Geological Survey’s Gas Hydrates Project
The Gas Hydrates Project at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focuses on the study of methane hydrates in natural environments. The project is a collaboration between the USGS Energy Resources and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Programs and works closely with other U.S. Federal agencies, some State governments, outside research organizations, and international partners. The USGS studies the fAuthorsCarolyn D. RuppelGas hydrate in nature
Gas hydrate is a naturally occurring, ice-like substance that forms when water and gas combine under high pressure and at moderate temperatures. Methane is the most common gas present in gas hydrate, although other gases may also be included in hydrate structures, particularly in areas close to conventional oil and gas reservoirs. Gas hydrate is widespread in ocean-bottom sediments at water depthsAuthorsCarolyn D. RuppelEnhanced CO2 uptake at a shallow Arctic Ocean seep field overwhelms the positive warming potential of emitted methane
Continued warming of the Arctic Ocean in coming decades is projected to trigger the release of teragrams (1 Tg = 106 tons) of methane from thawing subsea permafrost on shallow continental shelves and dissociation of methane hydrate on upper continental slopes. On the shallow shelves (<100 m water depth), methane released from the seafloor may reach the atmosphere and potentially amplify global warAuthorsJohn W. Pohlman, J. Greinert, Carolyn D. Ruppel, A Silyakova, L Vielstadte, Michael Casso, J Mienert, S BunzThe interaction of climate change and methane hydrates
Gas hydrate, a frozen, naturally-occurring, and highly-concentrated form of methane, sequesters significant carbon in the global system and is stable only over a range of low-temperature and moderate-pressure conditions. Gas hydrate is widespread in the sediments of marine continental margins and permafrost areas, locations where ocean and atmospheric warming may perturb the hydrate stability fielAuthorsCarolyn D. Ruppel, John D. KesslerVolume change associated with formation and dissociation of hydrate in sediment
Gas hydrate formation and dissociation in sediments are accompanied by changes in the bulk volume of the sediment and can lead to changes in sediment properties, loss of integrity for boreholes, and possibly regional subsidence of the ground surface over areas where methane might be produced from gas hydrate in the future. Experiments on sand, silts, and clay subject to different effective stressAuthorsCarolyn D. Ruppel, J. Y. Lee, J. Carlos SantamarinaSubsea ice-bearing permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Margin: 1. Minimum seaward extent defined from multichannel seismic reflection data
Subsea ice-bearing permafrost (IBPF) and associated gas hydrate in the Arctic have been subject to a warming climate and saline intrusion since the last transgression at the end of the Pleistocene. The consequent degradation of IBPF is potentially associated with significant degassing of dissociating gas hydrate deposits. Previous studies interpreted the distribution of subsea permafrost on the U.AuthorsLaura L. Brothers, Bruce M. Herman, Patrick E. Hart, Carolyn D. RuppelSubsea ice-bearing permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Margin: 2. Borehole constraints
Borehole logging data from legacy wells directly constrain the contemporary distribution of subsea permafrost in the sedimentary section at discrete locations on the U.S. Beaufort Margin and complement recent regional analyses of exploration seismic data to delineate the permafrost's offshore extent. Most usable borehole data were acquired on a ∼500 km stretch of the margin and within 30 km of theAuthorsCarolyn D. Ruppel, Bruce M. Herman, Laura L. Brothers, Patrick E. HartNon-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_4Nimblett, 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;2Wood, 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.164.203.2000Xu, 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. 10.1029/1998JB900092Paull, 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.164.1996Ruppel, 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: 10.1029/95JB01860Santamarina, 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, 373-384Trehu, 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: 10.1029/2002GL015988Ruppel 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_4Xu, 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.
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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.
Filter Total Items: 13
*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