Determing Gas Content Stratigraphics in ODP Cores by Monitoring Variations in Temperature, Pressure, and Conductivities During Core Recovery

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99-10418PaullThe recommended project will develop and deploy instruments that will measure temperature, pressure, and electrical conductivity with time within a standard Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) standard Advanced Piston Core (APQ core barrel during core recovery. The instruments will consist of sensors and a data logger within specially constructed core barrels. They will record the development of free gas in core during recovery, resulting in core temperature anomalies (cooling) and a decrease in electrical conductivity. Evaluation of conductivity and temperature with time, when combined with pressure data, will allow qualitative estimation of abundance of methane hydrate, determination of whether the free gas is resulting from methane hydrate breakdown, and subsequent stratigraphic determination of methane hydrate presence and stability in the cored section. Five instruments will be built, with development and building of the sensor package at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), development and building of the data recording package as well as overall assembly at the ODP Science Operator (Texas A&M University), and initial remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) testing by MBARL Three of these systems will be deployed on board the JOIDES Resolution in time for anticipated gas hydrate drilling in 2001, one will be deployed by the MBARI ROV, and one will remain at MBARI for use as a troubleshooting reference. These instruments should greatly advance our ability to estimate methane hydrate stability, occurrence, and volume, thereby expanding our Nation's ability to estimate methane energy reserves and possible climactic effects of sea level lowering (with subsequent release of methane, a greenhouse gas).