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gas hydrates

Sep 11, 2018

New study quantifies natural flux of methane gas in the northeast Pacific

Beneath the ocean floor, bacteria produce methane gas that is regularly released up through the sediment and into the sea water as bubble streams (Figure 1). While these gas flares have been observed on continental margins around the world, until now there has been no systematic study of all available gas flow observation data to estimate the total amount of methane escaping from the seafloor. These data are important for the global inventory of carbon and also for analyzing the uptake of carbon dioxide (ocean acidification), and its impact on climate change.

Figure 1: Methane gas bubbles escaping the seafloor near Clayoquot Slope.

In a new...

Read more

methane | barkley canyon | gas hydrates

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Oct 30, 2015

Jul 3, 2014

Secret Lives of Submarine Gas Flares

We know that methane gas bubbles from the seafloor near our Clayoquot Slope study site (depth: 1250 m). But what is the variability of this venting, does it change over time, and what causes flares of methane bubbles to start, stop or shift locations? Where is the bubbling most continuous and where is it most unpredictable? These are questions visiting scientist Dr. Miriam Römer has been trying to answer. Römer, a research scientist with the MARUM Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, spent the past 3 months working with Ocean Networks Canada staff scientists analyzing a large and disparate collection of data from Clayoquot Slope.

...
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clayoquot slope | gas hydrates | gas flares | methane | hydrates | germany | Collaboration | visiting scientist | bubbles | gas plume

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Nov 2, 2018

New study quantifies natural flux of methane gas in the northeast Pacific
Sep 11, 2018

Ocean Networks Canada 2018 visiting scientist program: Heidrun Kopp of GEOMAR/University of Kiel (Germany)
Jul 4, 2018

Ocean Networks Canada 2018 visiting scientist program: Q&A with Christian Stranne of University of Stockholm
May 8, 2018

Ocean Networks Canada 2018 visiting scientist program: Q&A with Warwick Vincent of Université Laval
May 8, 2018

Aug 15, 2013

Introduction to Barkley Canyon

Wally the crawler collecting data in ONC's Barkley Canyon observatory.

Barkley Canyon at a Glance:

  • Region: Extending from the continental shelf edge, at a depth of 400 m, and continuing down the continental slope to the canyon axis, at a depth of 985 m, Barkley Canyon is located at the leading edge of the Cascadia subduction zone.
  • Number of...
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NEPTUNE | barkley canyon | wally | benthic | pod | gas hydrates | methane | bacterial mats

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Sep 11, 2018

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Jul 18, 2017

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Jun 26, 2013

Seatube Highlight: Deep-Sea Gas Hydrates

Gas hydrates are ice-like solids composed of natural gas (mainly methane), which can be found in marine environments. To form, gas hydrates require low temperatures and/or high pressures.

Gas hydrates have been found to occur off the shore of Vancouver Island where they form hilly mounds and outcrops that have been observed with video cameras in Barkley Canyon and Clayoquot Slope, from Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and the world's first Internet operated deep-sea crawler, Wally.

...

Read more

gas hydrates | seatube

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Jul 3, 2014

Introduction to Barkley Canyon
Aug 15, 2013

Gas Plume Detected
May 28, 2013

Wally the Benthic Crawler
Oct 15, 2012

May 28, 2013

Gas Plume Detected

Ocean Networks Canada’s first summer expedition aboard the CCGS John P. Tully returned to port with confirmation of a major discovery: an impressive plume of gas rising from the seafloor off Vancouver Island in a region monitored by the NEPTUNE observatory that has been discharging since at least 2010.

Multibeam sonar profile of the methane plume.

During the final leg of the month-long expedition in the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the vessel conducted sonar...

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methane | gas hydrates | hydrates | bubbles | sonar | ccgs | expedition | greenhouse gases

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Apr 11, 2018

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Mar 5, 2018

Oct 15, 2012

Wally the Benthic Crawler

Deployed at a cold seep in the Barkley Canyon gas hydrate field, Wally the Benthic Crawler is equipped with sensors that measure temperature, pressure, water currents, salinity, methane, and turbidity. Wally’s webcam provides researchers with a detailed view of the seafloor sediments and local marine life. At a depth of 870 m, Wally is connected to the Barkley hydrates platform by a 70 m long cable and navigates a series of numbered way markers arranged along a seafloor tour route known as “Wally Land.”

...

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wally | crawler | jacobs university | germany | bremen | methane | hydrates | gas hydrates | methane hydrates | sediment microprofiler | barkley

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May 8, 2018

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Jul 18, 2017

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Jul 3, 2014

Sep 12, 2012

ONCCEE Hosts Korean Delegation to Discuss Gas Hydrates

Ocean Networks Canada Innovation Centre (formerly ONC Centre of Excellence & Education) Director Scott McLean hosted a three-day visit on September 5-7 with researchers from Korea to discuss the country's gas hydrate exploration of the Ulleung Basin in the Korean East Sea. The visit included a tour of the University of Victoria's Maritime Technology Centre in Sydney and a day at OceanWorks International, in Burnaby, B.C.

...

Read more

Korea | gas hydrates | Innovation Centre | R&D

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Nov 26, 2013

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Aug 27, 2012

Methane Flux in Barkley Canyon

 

Wally the Crawler sits atop some gas hydrates in Barkley Canyon.

It’s hardly been a case of “all play and no work” for Wally the Crawler. Researchers in Germany and Canada have been making heavy use of Wally and the unique data this deep-sea crawler gathers among the gas hydrates outcrops of Barkley Canyon.

A recent paper published in the journal ...

Read more

methane | wally | jacobs university | germany | barkley canyon | crawler | gas hydrates | methane hydrates | climate change | currents | bacterial mats

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May 8, 2018

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Dec 9, 2011

Hydrate Growth at Bullseye Vent?

Close-up views of exposed gas hydrates in Barkley Canyon.

Gas hydrates are ice-like solids composed of natural gas, usually methane in marine environments, and water. Hydrates are known to exist in the Cascadia margin, west of Vancouver Island, beneath the seafloor. Sediment stiffness is increased by frozen hydrates, like ice in winter mud. The degree of stiffness is an indicator of the amount of hydrate present per unit volume. Gas hydrate...

Read more

clayoquot slope | barkley canyon | gas hydrates | cascadia | seafloor compliance | Bullseye Vent | seismometer | differential pressure gauge

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Aug 23, 2016

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Sep 21, 2011

Free Wally Keeps on Ticking

Wally the Crawler underwent the ultimate stress test on Sunday. After entering the water tethered beneath the Remotely Operated Vehicle ROPOS, strong waves apparently sprung Wally loose. He took an 870 m free dive from the sea surface to the seafloor at Barkley Hydrates.

Wally dangling over the water

Wally the Crawler dangles below ROPOS just prior to entering the ocean at Barkley Hydrates, 18 September 2011.

Shortly after entering the water, we checked for Wally in the downward-looking camera, and he was gone. As the dive logger described it, “The hook came off, Wally is by himself.” Onlookers both on ship...

Read more

wally | crawler | hydrates | gas hydrates | methane hydrates | Barkley Hydrates | deep-sea crawler | ROPOS | bremen | jacobs university

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