NIWA
studies Gisborne gas seeps
A
team of NIWA scientist heads offshore near Gisborne next week [April
23-May 1] to investigate a group of seabed gas flares erupting from
near a glacier of frozen methane discovered last year.
17
April, 2015
Expedition
leader for the seven-day voyage aboard NIWA’s flagship deepwater
research vessel Tangaroa is marine geologist Joshu Mountjoy. "The
question we want to answer is about climate science: is methane
getting through the water column to the ocean’s surface and into
the atmosphere?"
Through
continuous methane collection at the surface, the answer could
contribute to understanding whether methane ‘leaks’ from beneath
the ocean floor contribute to global warming and climate change.
Hydroacoustics will measure the volume of methane emanating from the
sediments on the sea floor and gas samples will be taken from in the
ocean, at the ocean surface and in the atmosphere.
The
team of scientists includes marine ecologist Dr Ashley Rowden, and
instrument engineer Steve George, who will deploy the deep towed
imaging system (DTIS) that will take pictures and video of the
animals that occur at the seafloor habitats as well as the gas
bubbles themselves. The team hopes to discover whether
methane-dependent seep fauna are different from those found
previously at seeps in deeper water.
The
vast network of 99 gas seeps was discovered during a research voyage
on the Tangaroa last year. Some of the seeps are venting from the
seabed in flares up to 250m high. The discovery of this high
concentration of gas flares in shallow water depths -100m-300m - on
an active tectonic subduction zone is unique. Gas seeps are usually
much deeper, at 600m-1000m below the surface.
Dr Mountjoy says the team identified methane gas in the sediment and in the ocean, and vast areas of methane hydrates - ice-like frozen methane - below the seafloor.
This
research voyage continues the work of an international project
focusing on the interactions between gas hydrates and slow-moving
landslides called SCHLIP - Submarine Clathrate Hydrate Landslide
Imaging Project.
Some
of the project’s earlier research is presented in an award-winning
video flythrough.
The
voyage isn’t only about the science: also on board will be a
visiting French fourth-year arts student, Pauline Martinez Le Ninan,
who is exploring the spirit of science, including ocean geology, to
integrate into her artistic work
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.