Polar and Climate
The polar and high mountains are the planet’s barometers, telling us a great deal about the present and future effects of climate change.
This report reviews hydrate occurrences that some countries intend to exploit to produce natural gas as a potential for energy security. For instance, Japan tested offshore production earlier this year in which they successfully drilled to the hydrate reservoir (1000 meters of water and about 300 meters sub-seafloor) using a depressurization technique to separate the natural gas from the frozen water. Much of this offshore effort was based on previous extensive onshore research and development as part of the Canada-Japan Mallik project in the Mackenzie Delta (Northwest Territories, Canada). USA onshore R&D on the Alaska Slope has also provided extensive data and knowledge and this research continues today.
The report highlights some interesting implications for sustainable development.
This report should be used as a basis for understanding how
gas hydrates occur and evolve in nature and their potential
within future energy options. It reviews trends in energy
supply, shows where there may potentially be gas hydrate
resources; technologies that can be used; and the potential
environmental, economic, and social implications of gas
Year of publication: 2015