New lab could unlock vast potential of seabed methane ice

Credit: Ars Tecnica

Beneath the world's oceans, under particular conditions of temperature & pressure, methane ice deposits have accumulated.  Conservative estimates rate these deposits at twice the amount of natural gas from other sources.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/01/new-lab-could-unlock-vast-potential-of-seabed-methane-ice/ / University of California Irvine grant $1 million develop unique laboratory research clean energy methane hydrates untapped source methane gas huge quantities some ocean-floor environments clathrate compounds methane molecules trapped lattice water ice methane clathrate and methane ice methane water favorable combinations low temperatures high pressure conditions undersea locations polar latitudes along continental shelves sedimentary bed abundant on planet Earth conservative estimate 500 and 2,500 gigatonnes submarine gas hydrate deposits double the Earth's 230 gigatonnes of natural gas from other sources. According to the Department of Energy, methane hydrates are Earth's largest untapped fossil fuel resource. But quantity isn't everything; it's the size of the deposits that may one day prove commercially viable to tap that are key. This category of methane hydrates may prove to be a small proportion of the total extracting extraction extract logistical headaches prevention methane gas escape shorter-lived atmosphere greenhouse gas oxidized CO2 carbon dioxide thermodynamics extraction drilling exploitation /