| Resource Geosciences - Alternate Energy Sources from Deep Water |
Resource Geosciences has used its sampling and geochemical techniques to rapidly advance the state of knowledge concerning gas hydrate in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
- As an organization,
GERG has an important history of advanced research in gas hydrate
for almost two decades. The first discoveries in nature of two
major types of oil-related gas hydrate were made by GERG research
scientists (structure II and structure H gas hydrate).
- The Applied
Gas Hydrate Research Program (AGHRP) has been the single most
effective gas hydrate consortium in the U.S. since its inception in 1999. An integral element of AGHRP is research conducted on gas hydrate as a future energy
resource and as a potential hazard to drilling in ultra-deep
water.
- Hydrate
research has been supported through AGHRP by a significant number
of energy companies and one federal agency, the Minerals Management
Service. The energy companies include AGIP Petroleum, BP Exploration,
Chevron, Conoco, ExxonMobil, Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corporation, Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited, India,
Phillips, Shell, Texaco, TotalFinaElf, and Unocal. Other research
support comes from the National Science Foundation and the Department
of Energy.
- Major research
products of AGHRP include the first Gulf-wide G.I.S.-based map
of thermogenic and bacterial methane gas hydrate in geologic
context, providing important new data on gas hydrate type and
distribution to encourage additional research.
- In 2001,
Resource Geosciences published a new estimate of gas hydrate
energy volumes in the Gulf of Mexico based on improved geologic
and geochemical insight from AGHRP.
- Resource
Geosciences further studies gas hydrate in terms of life in
extreme environments, suggesting a relationship between gas
hydrate and complex chemosynthetic communities.
